tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41057356016391492072024-03-18T21:27:49.740-06:00Comfortably AnachronisticIs God a trend or a truth?C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-18730610621682844682017-06-22T12:51:00.000-06:002018-01-08T13:05:31.761-07:00On Grace and Judgement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in both judgement AND grace. Not just judgement and not just grace. Judgement is to be used as a tool for improvement, not for hate. If it is being used for hate, it is being used <b><i>incorrectly</i></b>.<br />
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Just as one can assess one's physical condition and deem it in need of improvement, Christianity urges that one do the same with one's soul. To hate one's or another's body is to harm oneself or others, just as it is harmful to hate oneself or a person because of their sins. We seek to improve it, not hate it.<br />
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We can believe in right actions and wrong actions and still love. To follow Christ requires us to do both of those things, and to leave any of it out is to cease to be a follower of Christ. We can see sin in the actions of ourselves and those around us, but it does not equate to hate.<br />
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Just as a parent will correct a child in order to help them learn what they need to in order to mature responsibly, our Heavenly Father has given us guidelines and corrections so that we can become who we are meant to be.</div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-5608553214878876082017-02-13T12:48:00.000-07:002017-02-13T12:57:50.602-07:00Liberal vs. Conservative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The following is part of a comment I made on a different post. I believe it would be helpful for all when trying to bridge the divide between conservative and liberal narratives. Those who are liberal tend not to know how to effectively communicate with conservatives (I know that's a big generalization). Please note that the terms conservative and liberal below apply to the U.S. interpretation, but that many of the ideas cross over into other countries, though the terms may be switched or different:<br />
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Liberal Morals and Conservative Morals are always clashing because of they put their emphases on different moral scales. Conservatives use more categories than Liberals and they weigh the importance of the scales differently. Here are some examples of the opposite ends of the liberal/conservative scale taken from The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt:<br />
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Liberals drive their moral force primarily from the Care/Harm foundation (Concern for the suffering of victims) and the Liberty/Oppression foundation (a celebration of liberty as freedom FROM oppression, as well as freedom TO pursue self-defined happiness. In the liberal narrative, Fairness is political equality (which is part of opposing oppression). There are only oblique hints of fairness as proportionality. Authority is mentioned only as an evil, and there is no mention of Loyalty or Sanctity (they believe that Loyalty shrinks the moral circle and is the basis for racism and exclusion; Sanctity is religious mumbo-jumbo whose only function is to suppress female sexuality and justify homophobia). </blockquote>
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Conservatives do have Care/Harm, but there are very clear and strong references to Liberty (as freedom FROM government constraint), Fairness (as proportionality: taking money from those who work hard and giving it to welfare queens), Loyalty (soldiers and the flag), Authority (subversion of the family and of traditions), and Sanctity (replacing God with the celebration of promiscuity). </blockquote>
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This info is most correct in the extreme liberal and extreme conservative groups, but even in less extreme members, there is a lot of those moral stances that they identify with. Also a good place to explore these concepts is <a href="http://yourmorals.org/" target="_blank">YourMorals.org. </a><br />
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These two narratives are as opposed as could be, so in order to talk to and influence the other side, you need to understand what is most important to them and how to speak to them in a way that connects with their morals.<br />
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Even though conservatives score slightly lower on measures of empathy and may therefore be less moved by a story about suffering and oppression, they can still recognize that it is awful to be kept in chains. Also, Liberals tend to be less accurate when predicting how a Conservative will answer a fairness question than Conservatives are about Liberals, mostly because of the difference in interpretation of Care/Fairness. Extreme Liberals tend to believe that Conservatives just don't have compassion, and Extreme Conservatives don't relate to the emotionalism of Liberals.<br />
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To influence conservatives, you must use their language. Emphasize your loyalty to the country. Talk about the traditional roles of government and how they are being flouted. Talk about how their tax money might be used or increased unnecessarily. If a law could affect families negatively, point that out.<br />
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Conservatives want some of the same things that Liberals do--they just don't want a government that puts people out of work to do it--even if it's a job that could pollute the environment (unless they are convinced that it is directly harming them) because the freedom FROM government tyranny is more important on the moral scale. They feel it should be a natural change, not an enforced one. Questions to a candidate like, "how are you going to fix our air" will always turn off a conservative voter, because they do not believe it is the government's job to take care of everything for them.<br />
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For more information: check out the Moral Foundations Theory, or read The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt.<br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-40552857168601602122016-10-22T10:38:00.000-06:002016-10-22T11:33:01.145-06:00The Administrative State<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I think that most people inherently understand the problem of an administrative state. We've already been provided with numerous examples in literature, i.e. <i>1984</i>, <i>Brave New World</i>, <i>Farenheit 451</i>, etc. More contemporarily, J.K. Rowling gave us a perfect example in the character of Dolores Umbridge from the fifth Harry Potter book. Though I cannot support Trump as a candidate, I do understand the underlying problems that people are reacting to and are hoping will be changed with a Trump presidency. Unfortunately, more than a presidency will have to be changed to effect this revolution, and we have to be careful not to change the humans for the pigs (<i>Animal Farm</i>, George Orwell):<br />
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<a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/crisis-of-the-conservative-house-divided/article/2005000" target="_blank">http://www.weeklystandard.com/crisis-of-the-conservative-house-divided/article/2005000</a><br />
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"...the insidious political character of the "administrative state," a phrase once confined chiefly to the ranks of conservative political scientists, but which has broken out into common parlance. It refers not simply to large bureaucracy, but to the way in which the constitutional separation of powers has been steadily eroded by the delegation of more and more lawmaking to a virtual "fourth branch" of government."<br />
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"The salient political fact is this: No matter who wins elections nowadays, the experts in the agencies rule and every day extend their rule further, even under Republican presidents ostensibly committed to resisting this advance. We still nominally choose our rulers, but they don't reflect our majority opinions. No wonder more and more conservatives regard the GOP leadership in Washington as 'collaborationists' with Democrats."<br />
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"Liberalism today goes beyond wanting to control your pocketbook; it now demands to control how you think. It resembles the state of play that Lincoln noted in his Cooper Union address in 1860—that the South would not be placated by toleration of slavery, but demanded that we ""'cease to call slavery wrong, and join them in calling it right. . . . Silence will not be tolerated—we must place ourselves avowedly with them.' Just as in 1860, the tacit platform of today's Democratic party is that the Republican party is illegitimate unless Republicans surrender their principles and get on 'the side of history.' "<br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-54194656176897309492016-06-26T10:48:00.001-06:002016-06-26T10:48:06.575-06:00Spiritual Growth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'BYUI Open Sans', 'Open Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.3499999940395355px;">Growing spiritually and receiving answers to our questions depends upon our ability to feel, hear, and understand the whisperings of the Spirit. It is worth engaging in a spiritual wrestle to learn to receive personal revelation, because we can only know what is true when the Spirit bears witness to our hearts and minds as only the Holy Ghost can.</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'BYUI Open Sans', 'Open Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.3499999940395355px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.byui.edu/devotionals/sheri-dew#_edn25" name="_ednref25" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0076c6; text-decoration: none;" title="">[xxv]</a></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'BYUI Open Sans', 'Open Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.3499999940395355px;"> Revelation must include both, because intellect alone cannot produce a testimony. You cannot think your way to conversion, because you cannot convince your mind of something your heart does not feel.</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'BYUI Open Sans', 'Open Sans', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.3499999940395355px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.byui.edu/devotionals/sheri-dew#_edn26" name="_ednref26" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0076c6; text-decoration: none;" title="">[xxvi]</a></span><br />
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Sheri Dew, BYUI 2016 Spring Devotional<br />
<a href="http://www.byui.edu/devotionals/sheri-dew#_edn10">http://www.byui.edu/devotionals/sheri-dew#_edn10</a></div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-29346177968732342342016-06-26T10:44:00.002-06:002016-06-26T10:44:30.181-06:00Lies for the Liars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have sometimes heard it said that it is okay to lie in order to expose another's lie. Apparently the Lord does not agree.<br />
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D&C 10:28 Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.</div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-35255368248516743752016-05-24T08:00:00.000-06:002016-05-24T08:00:14.474-06:00Being the Ballast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>(<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2015/12/22/the-general-conference-odyssey/">This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey</a>)</i></div>
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In the 1972 Saturday Afternoon Session of the LDS General Conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer gave a talk entitled, <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1972/10/the-saints-securely-dwell?lang=eng">The Saints Securely Dwell</a>.</div>
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He spoke of our most basic church programs, such as home teaching, and compared them to our body's basic but vital functions, such as the work our heart does.</div>
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For example, there is within us a coursing supply of blood delivering nourishment to sustain the body, carrying away waste materials, and armed with a protection against disease and infection. The blood supply is kept in motion by the incessant and dependable pumping of the heart. It is vital to life.<br />Ordinarily, however, a sliver in the finger gets more attention and is of more concern. No one pays much thought to the beating of the heart until there is the threat that it may be interrupted or stopped. It is then that we pay attention.</blockquote>
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Home teaching, like visiting teaching, can be taken for granted, or seen even as a nuisance or unnecessary effort, especially when someone is not seen to have a pressing need. But this is the way that we protect and carry each other. Through these programs, we have the Lord's watch-care system.<br />
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If illness strikes, help can be forthcoming. The children can be cared for; visits can be arranged. Here we join the priesthood home teachers with the visiting teachers from the Relief Society. Often the problem is not illness. It is a teenager with problems or a little one not coming along the way he should.</blockquote>
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There can pour through this channel of priesthood home teaching a sustaining power to the limits of the resources of the Church on this earth. This is not all. There can flow through this channel a redeeming spiritual power to the limits of heaven itself.</blockquote>
Fulfilling our calls to home teach and visit teach each other may seem mundane, and they are certainly less exciting than participating in a movement that the world promises us will change the church for the better. But these proposed changes that follow the world's guidelines to happiness will leave so many just as empty or forgotten as before. If we are not reaching out individually in our own spheres of responsibility, we will fail to make real progress as a church.<br />
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I am reminded of a fur trapper who had earned a modest fortune trapping foxes. He decided to go south for the winter and left his trap lines in the care of a carefully trained young assistant. He taught him just how to set the traps and where to put the bait.<br />When he returned in the spring, to his disappointment there were very few fox furs.<br />“Did you do it just as I taught you?” asked the older man.<br />“Oh, no,” was the reply. “I found a better way.”</blockquote>
With our devoted service, the happiness and joy we can bring to others is limitless. Not only are we already called and able to watch over our brothers and sisters locally with basic church programs, but we have also been called to help those who are not usually within our sphere of service, through the <a href="https://www.lds.org/refugees?cid=HP_SA_26-3-2016_dPFD_fCNWS_xLIDyL2-1_&lang=eng">I Was a Stranger</a> refugee relief effort. Our Heavenly Father has given us so many good ways to serve and help each other. Through trusting in Him and faithfully serving in the programs and callings He has given us, we can all move forward more directly and effectively.<br />
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Through home teaching, tragedies have been averted. Sinking souls have been lifted. Material need has been provided. Grief has been assuaged. The infirm have been healed through administration. While the work goes on without being heralded, it is inspired of Almighty God and is basic to the spiritual nourishment of this people. </blockquote>
We can use our combined strength as a joyous force for change in this world, but only if we are united in effort and purpose. Let us not neglect or tear each other down as we try to change this world for the better.<br />
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<i>More General Conference Odyssey Posts:</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/05/24/the-courage-to-conform/">The Courage to Conform</a> by G<br />
<a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/05/23/doing-the-will-of-the-lod/">Doing the Will of the Lord</a> by Daniel Ortner<br />
<a href="http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/?p=8444">A Complete Testimony</a> by Jan Tolman</div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-2399774379504874752016-04-12T08:56:00.000-06:002016-04-12T08:57:55.615-06:00We Are a Peculiar People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1972/04?lang=eng">April 1972 Priesthood session of General Conference</a>, Apostle N. Eldon Tanner gave a talk on the Priesthood that impressed me in a few different ways.<br />
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One of the things that stood out to me was that he said "we must always be humble, proud, and never ashamed of the priesthood we hold. We are different, a peculiar people, and must remain different in the cause of truth and righteousness."<br />
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What a statement this is when applied to us in today's time. Though it has only been 44 years since this talk was given, we live in a time of open ridicule and disdain for the things of God. We are constantly hearing and receiving accusations that are intended to make us ashamed of our church, our beliefs, and our way of living. The secular concerns of society have taken the new position as a "gospel" of our time. As a society, we are much more preoccupied with issues of cultural appropriation and "safe spaces" than with living a life dedicated to God and His gospel. The moods of our society swing back and forth like a pendulum, with such severe disagreements as to who is correct, that many lose sight of our equality and similarities, in the fight to prove the "other side" wrong. Brotherhood and Sisterhood are forgotten, and the lines of battle are drawn while insults are flung at each other across the barriers that we have put up between ourselves.<br />
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How much more necessary and needed, then, is the gospel at such a time as this! Our society desperately needs a people who see each and every person on earth as a child of a loving Heavenly Father. Barriers of language, race, politics, and belief can be overcome when we are reaching out to each other instead of magnifying our differences.<br />
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"We are different from the world. We have the revealed gospel and the priesthood. We must be exemplary wherever we are."</blockquote>
President Tanner told this story:<br />
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I was talking to a young man who is going to be baptized next month, the only member of his family to be baptized, and I said, “What caused you to be interested in the Church?”<br />
And he replied, “The young man I was associating with in school was a member of your church, and the way he lived interested me. He was different from the rest of the boys. He was happy, and he invited me to his home; and when I saw the love in that home and how that family lived, I was more interested. He took me to church, and then I joined the ball team, and I found in that church a different feeling than I had found any other place. Then that ball team, those fine fellows all keeping the Word of Wisdom and living good clean lives, impressed me, and I determined that I would join the Church.”<br />
He went on to say: 'I came with that friend out to Brigham Young University to attend one semester. I wanted to get acquainted with the people out here. I found most of those young people down there living the way they should, but if I hadn’t determined to be a member of this church before I met some of the others, I don’t know what effect it would have had on me.”</blockquote>
As President Tanner said, some of us fear that we will lose prestige, or perhaps we fear ridicule from our family, friends or colleagues. The internet today has only magnified the ability of people to ridicule others, and it is indeed a scary thing to think of the hate of thousands or millions being flung at you for a disagreement over what is right in their eyes.<br />
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We must be in the world but not of it. </div>
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Let us be that peculiar people, and take comfort in the fact that though we may not always agree with the world, and though we may be ridiculed or demonized by it--we are in fact on the Lord's side. He will sustain us and guide us. Let us not fear as we share the gospel with the world. It is in need of the love, peace and understanding that the Spirit of the Lord brings.<br />
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<i>Read more posts in the General Conference Odyssey:</i></div>
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<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/03/29/what-has-the-church-ever-done-for-us/">What has the Church ever Done for Us?</a> by Nathaniel Givens</div>
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<a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/04/12/vaunting/">Vaunting</a> by G.</div>
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<a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/the-power-of-god-resting-upon-the-leaders-of-this-church/?preview=true">The Power of God Resting Upon the Leaders of This Church </a>by Daniel Ortner</div>
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<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/04/12/remembering-the-stranger/">Remembering the Stranger</a> by Walker Wright</div>
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<a href="http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/priesthood-three-reasons-honor/">The Priesthood, Three Reasons to Honor It</a> by Jan Tolman</div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-84931842354286904082016-03-08T07:00:00.000-07:002016-03-08T07:00:05.729-07:00Our Lines of Communication<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1972/04/keep-the-lines-of-communication-strong?lang=eng">Apostle Spencer W. Kimball's talk</a> for the Thursday morning session of the April, 1972 LDS General Conference, he told a story of telephone poles that had been burned when someone threw their cigarette butt into the dry grass surrounding the poles:<br />
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Nearly all the poles for a distance were scorched or burned. Some had been burned off the first few feet from the ground and were hanging by the top part in the air from the wires they were intended to support. Dangling in the air, these sagging wires had let the poles touch the ground as they were swinging in the wind, each time creating static on the line.<br />
The poles had been set to hold up the lines, but here they were sagging.<br />
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Many a time during the three years that I was in charge of the work in South America, I tried to get long-distance calls through to these distant places. When the connection was made, almost invariably there would be static, and the words were cut in two and grating sounds were heard. In my mind’s eye I could see the telephone line on the Salta Road swaying in the breeze, hitting the ground and occasionally breaking connection.<br />
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I thought that telephone lines and telephone poles are a little like people. They are built for one purpose and sometimes serve another. They are designed to be firm and stout and to give support; but in many cases they are leaning and swaying and sagging until communications are greatly impaired, if not actually cut off.</blockquote>
It is rather easy to become like those broken telephone poles, failing to do our part to sustain the lines of communication with God. Lives become hectic, work becomes demanding, and we become physically and mentally exhausted. The communication with God that should bring us joy can seem instead like just another burden laid upon us--another responsibility that we must take upon our weary shoulders. We begin to look for ways to escape our burdens. Then, as our communication with God begins to fail, it becomes easy for us to dismiss former feelings, knowledge and confidence in the Lord and his precepts.<br />
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The Lord is our partner, and we owe him the same fidelity that we owe a spouse. Just like a marriage, communication and understanding with the Lord takes effort on our part. As we turn to something else for comfort and relief of our burdens, we step onto the path that leads to infidelity. When we stop putting forth effort to communicate, we can begin to distrust our partner, misinterpret their intentions, and even to hate them, through no fault of their own. The vows that we make with a spouse mirror the vows we have made with our Lord and Savior, and we have the responsibility to uphold those vows, treasuring them as special and sacred to us.<br />
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To be too busy to pray or to read our scriptures, is to be too busy for a relationship with Him. A relationship cannot thrive without quality time spent together. Our spouse may be exactly the same person that we married, but we are the ones who have now changed, because we have not nurtured our lines of communication. This can lead to confiding and trusting someone else, and ultimately, betrayal and abandonment. Though He is the same today as yesterday, we can begin to feel that his teachings and his gospel no longer bring us joy if we do not bother to spend time with Him. We will grow apart.<br />
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"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/11.30?lang=eng#29">St. Matthew 11:30</a></div>
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A healthy, unbroken relationship with God will ease our burdens instead of adding to them. It will bring us support and joy. May we always repair our sagging lines of communication, and keep close to our Lord and Savior, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.<br />
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<i>For more posts from the General Conference Odyssey, please read below:</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/03/no-success-can-compensate.html">No Success Can Compensate</a> </i>by Silver Rain<br />
<i><a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/restoring-our-lines-of-communication/">Restoring our Lines of Communication</a> </i>by Daniel Ortner<br />
<i><a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-april-1972-common-consent-sustaining-vs-non-opposition/">Common Consent, Sustaining vs. Non-Opposition</a> </i>by J. Max Wilson<br />
<i><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/03/08/on-repetition-and-lines-of-communication/">On Repetition and Lines of Communication </a></i>by Nathaniel Givens<br />
<i><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/03/a-peculiar-people-aims-for-respectability/">A Peculiar People Aims for Respectability</a> </i>by Ralph Hancock<br />
<i><a href="http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/general-conference-odyssey-more-profound-than-words/">More Profound Than Words</a></i> by Jan Tolman<br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-20478841378932494712016-03-01T12:07:00.000-07:002016-03-01T14:43:29.638-07:00If Ye Be Willing and Obedient<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For week fourteen of <a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2015/12/22/the-general-conference-odyssey/" target="_blank">The General Conference Odyssey</a>, we are writing about one of the talks from the Sunday afternoon session of the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/1971/10?lang=eng" target="_blank">October 1971 General Conference</a> of the LDS Church.<br />
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Gordon B. Hinckley of the Quorum of the Twelve gave a <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/10/if-ye-be-willing-and-obedient?lang=eng" target="_blank">talk</a> in which he discussed our role in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He recalls hearing President Heber J. Grant tell of his experience in reading the Book of Mormon when he was a boy.<br />
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<i>"He spoke of Nephi and of the great influence he had upon his life. And then, with a voice ringing with a conviction...he quoted those great words of Nephi: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/3.7?lang=eng#6">1 Ne. 3:7</a>.)"</i><br />
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There came into [his] young heart on that occasion a resolution to try to do what the Lord has commanded.<br />
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Obeying the will of the Lord is not always easy. It may not only be a difficult thing, but it may in fact seem impossible to accomplish what he is asking of us. The experience of Moses was a classic example of this, when the Lord called him to lead Israel out of Egypt:<br />
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<i>“And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent … but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”</i><br />
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<i>“And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? …</i><br />
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<i>“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/ex/4.10-12?lang=eng#9">Ex. 4:10–12</a>.)</i><br />
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As Elder Hinckley pointed out, sometimes it is only through the practice of obedience and the resulting experiences, that one can develop some of those admirable qualities that we love in an individual.</div>
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Sometimes, or even oftentimes, the thing the Lord asks us to do does not seem at all special or glorious. It can even be something that we are repelled by. How much more difficult it is to obey when it is something that we would rather not do!</div>
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The ideas of duty and obedience are not very popular ones in the modern world. Loyalty to one's own self is emphasized, while anything that may keep one from the full enjoyment of life is treated as an undesirable anchor that should quickly be abandoned in order to be free. May we anchor ourselves firmly in the gospel as we uphold our duty and serve in obedience to the Lord.</div>
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For more posts on the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 1971 General Conference, please see below:</div>
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<a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-october-1971-elder-hinckley-and-persistence-in-faith/" target="_blank">Elder Hinckley and Persistence in Faith</a> by J. Max Wilson</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/03/living-by-power-woman-of-god.html" target="_blank">Living by Power--A Woman of God</a> by Silver Rain</span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/world-needs-a-bath-in-christs-pure-religion/" target="_blank">The World Needs a Bath in Christ’s Pure Religion</a> by Jan Tolman</span></span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2016/03/01/go-and-do/" target="_blank">Go and Do</a> by Michelle Linford</span></span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/03/01/on-the-inevitability-of-worship/" target="_blank">On the Inevitability of Worship</a> by Nathaniel Givens</span></span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/worshiping-the-true-and-living-god/" target="_blank">Worshipping the True and Living God</a> by Daniel Ortner</span></span></div>
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<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/03/on-worship-practical-contemplative-and-aesthetic-humanitarian/" target="_blank">On Worship, Practical, Contemplative, and Aesthetic--Humanitarian</a> by Ralph Hancock</span></span><br />
<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/03/01/emulating-the-great-exemplar/" target="_blank">Emulating the Great Exemplar </a>by Walker Wright</span></span><br />
<span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,573,[null,0],null,[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],null,null,null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"\"The World Needs a Bath in Christ\u2019s Pure Religion\u201d"]"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://goodgazette.blogspot.com/2016/03/grand-slam.html" target="_blank">Grand Slam</a> by John Hancock</span></span></div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-65803895525969384532016-02-16T05:30:00.000-07:002016-02-16T10:03:02.510-07:00The Way Back into Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"We cannot, my dear brethren, condition our love by a beard or beads or habits or strange viewpoints. There have to be standards and they must be enforced, but our love must be unconditional." -Marion D. Hanks</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/1971/10?lang=eng" target="_blank">October 1971</a> Priesthood session of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Marvin J. Ashton told the following story <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/10/you-can-get-there-from-here?lang=eng" target="_blank">in his talk</a>:</span></div>
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...My thoughts have turned back to a bewildered and confused young man in a huge city. He had lost his way. In desperation he stopped a man on the sidewalk and said, “How do I get to such-and-such a destination from here?” After considerable thought, with the skyscrapers, dense traffic, confusing streets, winding rivers, freeways, bridges, tunnels, and so on in mind, the man said, “You can’t get there from here.”I have often thought of this advice as I have contemplated particularly some of our youth in their present locations in life. Some are lost, bewildered, confused, scared, sick, insecure, and discouraged. What a tragedy to be in these straits and to be told, in answer to the questions “How can I get back to where I was?” or “How can I get to where I want to go?”—“You can’t get there from where you are.”The disciples of the devil teach there is no way back: Live it up, everybody is doing it, be with the in-group, and it’s more fun to stay lost. The devil is an enemy to the ways of God, and enticeth to sin. </blockquote>
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What a happy day it will be when, in contrast to the experience this lost young man had in the big city, he or others can find someone who will say, “Yes, you can get there from here. Come, follow me.”</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At times in our lives and the lives of those around us, we reach a point where we feel that we are lost, or have just gone too far from where we started in order to ever return again. This feeling brings us great sorrow, but because we feel such hopelessness and can’t see the way back, we push it out of our minds, saying, “It’s too late, anyway. I’m too bad. I’ve done too much. I’m just too different now.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are never too different, and it is never too late. As children of a loving God, we have all come to the earth under vastly different circumstances. Each of us goes through a different experience, with all of our very own trials, tests, gifts and weaknesses. We are ALL different, and all of our lives matter. We are more important than our mistakes.</span><br />
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Very often our glances, our indifference, our hasty comments and lack of patience convey the message, “You are hopeless. You can’t get back from here. You are too far down the road. After visiting with one of our young women who has been lost to drugs for many months, her only encouraging remark after more than three hours of sincere communication was, “Thanks for not chewing me out.” Two visits later she asked, “Do you think I would make a good schoolteacher?” To a sincere yes, she said, “Thanks, I’ll try. I’m only three semesters away from getting my teaching certificate.” This girl is making it back. Someone believes in her. Someone has convinced her she can get there from here. The trip she is on this time will bring her back home. </blockquote>
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May I this day challenge all of us as priesthood bearers, young and old, to vigorously locate and lead those who have temporarily strayed. Let us lead them by our example, love, and persuasion. They deserve our help. They want our direction. They need our love. You priesthood bearers this night, honor your priesthood, build yourself by stooping to help someone who has temporarily lost his or her way.</blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know how it feels to be different; I know how it feels to be lost and think that I am disqualified. I also know how it feels to be found again, and to have the beauty of love, knowledge and joy restored to me through God’s forgiveness. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is our responsibility to reach out to each other in love; to help others see that there is a path back if they want to take it. There is a difference between the elation of relief felt when one finally gives into a sin that they’ve been struggling with for too long, and the clean, pure, indescribable joy of repentance and forgiveness. One is an physical and mental release as we throw off the weight that was getting harder and harder to bear all on our own. There is a great burst of relief and feeling of deliverance at first--but it is but a shadowy, secondary kind of happiness, which over time is lost as the burdens of sin overshadow our lives. We forget how the other kind of joy tastes, and forget that it is possible to feel so truly happy. But as the burdens of sin are thrown off and abandoned; when true repentance takes place, that perfect joy is an immeasurable, eternal feeling that can be shared and felt with those around you. It is a happiness that pulls other people in. It is love.</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Remember that powerful truth found in Matthew 23:37: “… how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” [<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/23.37?lang=eng#36">Matt. 23:37</a>] </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With your indulgence, I would like to repeat that quotation once more and add just two words of admonition: “… how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not help me!”</blockquote>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To enjoy other posts on the Priesthood Session of the October 1971 LDS General Conference, please read these blog posts:</span></i></h4>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-october-1971-spiritual-and-secular-education-in-the-service-of-god/" target="_blank">Spiritual and Secular Education in the Service of God </a>by J. Max Wilson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/02/16/mormon-privilege/" target="_blank">Momon Privilege</a> by Nathaniel Givens</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/yes-you-can-get-there-from-here/" target="_blank">Yes, You Can Get There From Here</a> by Daniel Ortner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://goodgazette.blogspot.com/2016/02/dont-do-acid.html" target="_blank">Don't Do Acid</a> by John Hancock</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/02/becoming-male-mother.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Becoming a Male Mother </a><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Silver Rain</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/02/our-virtue-faith-and-education/" target="_blank">Our Virtue, Faith and Education</a> by Ralph Hancock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2016/02/16/commandments-and-compassion/" target="_blank">Commandments and Compassion</a> by Michelle Linford</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/it-takes-men-women/" target="_blank">It Takes Men and Women</a> by Jan Tolman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/02/16/the-need-to-belong/" target="_blank">The Need to Belong</a> by Walker Wright</div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-5537481467880641302016-01-19T00:04:00.000-07:002016-01-19T00:19:25.735-07:00Free Agency and God's Interference<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the Friday Morning session of the October 1971 General Conference, Elder Henry D. Taylor of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke on <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/10/a-time-of-testing?lang=eng" target="_blank">A Time of Testing</a>.<br />
<br />
He mentions Abraham, and the assurance that he was given that "he was a great and noble intelligence before coming to this earth." This earth was the place for us, these intelligences, to be tried and tested after we were born as mortal beings. We are being tested to see if we will do all the things that the Lord God will command us to do.<br />
<br />
Along with the rough path of earth life and the influence of Satan and his followers, we are allowed our free agency--our right to choose between good and evil. This is our "privilege and responsibility." But along with our trials and our testing, the Lord has always given us his commandments; his guidelines that will bring us joy and happiness if we follow them.<br />
<br />
In connection with this subject of agency, there is a strange but pervasive doctrine cropping up among some members of the church in the last few years, that Heavenly Father <i>will not</i> interfere in your life by telling you what you should do, because doing so would take away your agency.<br />
<br />
Of course, any of us who have ever received answers, confirmation, or revelation from the Lord will immediately recognize the fallacy of that kind of doctrine. Not only does the Lord make a habit of giving us instruction, either through his prophets or directly; receiving messages or instruction from the Lord is exactly what gives you that chance to <i>exercise</i> your agency. It gives you a choice between following His council or choosing your own. Without a choice, there is no such thing as agency.<br />
<br />
In both our scriptures and our history, we can point to many instances of God's direct interference in the lives of His children, and especially in the lives of those whom He chooses to do his work. These are just a few examples:<br />
<br />
<b>Joseph Smith</b>: God appeared to Joseph with his Son, Jesus Christ, and gave him direct instructions not to join any of the churches. He later sent angels to Joseph with further messages and direction.<br />
<br />
<b>Brigham Young</b>:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> During the excitement incident to the coming of [Johnston’s] Army, Brother Brigham preached to the people in a morning meeting a sermon vibrant with defiance to the approaching army, and declaring an intention to oppose and drive them back. In the afternoon meeting he arose and said that Brigham Young had been talking in the morning, but the Lord was going to talk now. He then delivered an address, the tempo of which was the opposite from the morning talk.” (Link found <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ.p35?lang=eng#p35">here</a>)</span><br />
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<b>Alma the Younger</b>: Alma led away the hearts of many of the followers of the church, seeking to destroy the church and causing dissension amongst the people. Because of the prayers of the people, and those of Alma, his father,<i> </i>an angel appeared<i> </i>to Alma and the sons of Mosiah with <i>very specific</i> interference and instruction. (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/27.8-17?lang=eng#7" target="_blank">Mosiah 27:8-17</a>). The angel said:<br />
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Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.<br />
...<br />
And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God.<br />
...<br />
And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.</blockquote>
And then there are the many times the Lord has protected people so that they can fulfill the work He needs them to do: Samuel the Lamanite was protected from arrows; Nephi (of 3rd Nephi) was whisked away by the Spirit when the people tried to hurt him; Laman and Lemuel were stopped from beating Nephi and Sam.<br />
<br />
The Lord also interferes in our lives by causing or allowing physical afflictions (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/hel/12.3-6?lang=eng#2" target="_blank">Helaman 12:3-6</a>):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.<br />
4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!<br />
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!<br />
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. </blockquote>
We are very free to choose what will believe and what we will do, but this does not stop the Lord from giving us instruction. Even if the Lord appears to us in person, we can still make a choice whether to believe or follow Him. A third of the hosts of heaven decided to follow Lucifer after the Lord had rejected his plan. They made this choice while in the presence of our Heavenly Father.<br />
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We are lucky enough to live at a time when the gospel and priesthood have been restored, and we have living prophets who continue to reveal the Lord's will to us.<br />
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"It is a temptation to become so involved in the things of the world that we lose sight of more important values, the things of the spirit." -Henry D. Taylor</blockquote>
Overcoming earthly temptations doesn't happen all at once.<br />
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Peter first denied Jesus at the crucifixion because of fear, then through his repentance and further teachings from the resurrected Savior, he developed that strength to withstand the fears of the world.<br />
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Joseph Smith suffered multiple trials after his heavenly visitations. Not only did he have to overcome his own weaknesses, but he was under constant physical and emotional attack from the people around him--even sometimes those who were close to him. He yet remained true and faithful.<br />
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Job was given trial after trial, but this was his testimony (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/job/19.25-27?lang=eng#24" target="_blank">Job 19:25-27</a>):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:<br />
“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:<br />
“Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”</blockquote>
This is our test: Will we sustain the prophets when we receive revelation that interferes with our own interpretation of doctrine? Will we stand against the tide of man's disdain and derision when the Lord's will is contrary to popular belief and opinion?<br />
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Though Satan be unleashed upon us with his full efforts, we have been given the ability to resist his influence if we will accept the help and council of the Lord, which He has freely given us. By using our agency to follow the instructions that the Lord gives us, and to ask for and accept His direction in our lives, we can prove ourselves, and we can overcome the world.<br />
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<i>To read more posts on the October 1971 General Conference, please visit these links:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-october-1971-what-is-failure-zions-camp-liberty-jail" target="_blank">What is Failure? Zion's Camp and Liberty Jail</a> </i>by J. Max Wilson<br />
<i><a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/01/sustaining-failure.html" target="_blank">Sustaining Failure</a> </i>by Silver Rain<br />
<i><a href="http://http//patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/01/i-was-so-much-older-then-im-younger-than-that-now/" target="_blank">I was So Much Older Then, I'm Younger than That Now</a> </i>by Ralph Hancock<br />
<i><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/19/its-dangerous-to-go-alone/" target="_blank">It's Dangerous to Go Alone</a> </i>by Nathaniel Givens<br />
<i><a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/01/19/working-out-our-collective-salvation/" target="_blank">Working Out Our Collective Salvation</a> </i>on Junior Ganymede<br />
<i><a href="http://goodgazette.blogspot.com/2016/01/choose-ye-this-day-general-conference.html" target="_blank">Choose Ye This Day: General Conference or Elvis, The Beatles, and the Rolling Stones </a></i>by John Hancock<br />
<a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2016/01/19/liberty-ldsconf-odyssey/" target="_blank"><i>Liberty</i> </a>by Michelle Linford<br />
<i><a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/01/16/3011/" target="_blank">Our Position of Strength</a></i> by Daniel Ortner<br />
<i><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/19/a-little-bit-of-heaven-on-earth/" target="_blank">A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth</a> </i>by Walker Wright</div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-78233490973142637342016-01-12T07:00:00.000-07:002016-01-12T09:33:16.633-07:00Eyes to See and Ears to Hear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My father once knew a woman in his youth who predicted that man would never reach the moon.Years later, now in his early twenties, he again visited with his neighbor and asked her, “Isn’t it wonderful that man was able to walk on the moon? I guess you were wrong.” She responded, “Michael, don’t you know that those television people can make anything look real? Man will never land on the moon. If God wanted man on the moon, he would have put him there.” He went away sadly, for there was no way to convince her that such a wonderful thing had actually happened.<br />
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Aren’t we often the same way--so sure of our understanding that we fail to recognize our own blindness?<br />
<br />
In the Tuesday afternoon session of the 1971 LDS General Conference, William H. Bennet of the First Quorum of the Seventy gave a talk entitled,<i> <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/help-needed-in-the-shaded-areas?lang=eng">Help Needed in the Shaded Areas</a></i>. In his talk, he told of a test he was required to take during his service in the army during World War II, named the Ishihara eye test. This test uses different colors, designs and numbers to diagnose color blindness. With certain kinds of color blindness, one is able to distinguish the solid colors, but will have difficulty with the shaded areas between the solid colors. In this test he found an important message that applies to us in general: <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Those who are color blind do not discern correctly; and, no matter how hard they try, they are not able to distinguish the differences in hue that are obvious to the normal eye.”<br />
“…As we journey along through life we, as individuals, come in contact with many shaded areas, twilight zones, and even dark alleys, where we, unless aided by a higher power, are not able to see clearly, to interpret correctly, and to come to sound conclusions. Some of these shaded areas are found in the physical world, some in the intellectual world, and some in the realm of the spiritual. Let us remember, however, that the Lord has said that all things unto him are spiritual.”</blockquote>
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As physical beings, we are limited both by our physical boundaries and our knowledge. Some of us may pursue knowledge, education and understanding for the whole of our lives, yet we will still have only a limited portion of the total amount of possible human understanding and learning.<br />
<br />
Some may have more physical boundaries than others, but we are all limited to our own sphere of understanding. We cannot see above it or past it, because we cannot comprehend anything outside of our own realm.<br />
<br />
An excellent example of this problem is found in the the book <i>Flatland</i>, by Edwin A. Abbott. Originally published in 1884, when Einstein was a child and the idea of space-time lay far in the future, Abbott wrote the story as an autobiography or epistle by a Square in the land of Flatland, which is a land of only two dimensions. He begins his tale with a description of the nature of his two-dimensional world and its inhabitants, which are Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, Polygonals and Circles. Though these different shapes exist in their universe, their vision is always limited to points and lines, as their world is two-dimensional. There is no such thing as a ‘visible angle.’ All angles and shapes can only be felt or inferred. There is no conception of height, or above and below, unless it is in the same way it would be portrayed on a map. <br />
<br />
The Square from Flatland has a dream in which he visits Lineland, where he speaks to the king. All inhabitants of Lineland live in one straight line, moving only forward or backward, never able to see past the point in front of them, or move sideways, which is something that they cannot even conceive of. Their vision is limited to the backside of the line that is in front of them, which is just a point. All measurement, communication and relationships are realized through sound, and never include any kind of physical contact. The Square tries to explain to the king how his vision and the 2nd dimension enables him to see the king’s side, which the king would only call his inside as he cannot conceive of sides. Square even tries to demonstrate his shape and the concept of two dimensions to the king, but the king can only ever see the Square’s sides as a point as they pass in front of him, which mysteriously disappears when the Square moves out of his vision/dimension. Frustrated, the Square leaves in a huff, waking up.<br />
<br />
The Square is then visited by a Sphere from a third dimension, called Spaceland, and is suddenly put into the same position as the king of Lineland. No matter how much the Sphere tries to demonstrate the third dimension by moving in and out of the Square’s vision/dimension, or through a description of seeing his insides from above, there is no way to make the Square understand, and he becomes angry and violent at the tricks being played on him, until he is suddenly removed from his two-dimensional world and pulled into the three-dimensional world, where he can actually see an angle! Suddenly, he is able to begin to comprehend and understand what before seemed to him like lies, tricks and traps. Though he still has trouble understanding all that he sees, he now believes, for three dimensions is now visible to him, and he can see what he once called his insides. <br />
<br />
Once the Square is back in Flatland, he is sure that he will be able to make others understand what he has seen and convert them to the Gospel of the Three Dimensions. Unfortunately, he meets with the very same problem that the sphere had in trying to explain or demonstrate to him the concept of a third dimension in a two-dimensional world. Just as he could clearly comprehend Lineland but they could not comprehend two dimensions, so it was that those who had experienced the third dimension could comprehend two dimensions, but not vice versa. There was no vocabulary for, no physical proof of, and no good reason to believe in a mystical, incomprehensible third dimension.<br />
<br />
How very similar it is for us, who cannot see outside of our own comprehension, to have trouble understanding all the purposes of a God who can see above us--see our “insides,” and the insides of all mankind and the world.<br />
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Yet, like the Flatlanders, we are not left wholly in ignorance of any other “dimension.” And we are given a much more powerful vehicle for understanding than just a floundering description of another existence. As Elder Bennet said in his talk: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The Lord has told us in the Book of Mormon, in Moroni, the tenth chapter and the fifth verse, that by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. [<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.5?lang=eng#4">Moroni 10:5</a>] What a wonderful promise that is; and it can be realized by all of us who are members of the Church, because during our confirmation, following baptism, hands were laid on our heads, and one having authority gave us the gift of the Holy Ghost. If we will just live the way we should and do our part, we can experience what a great strength and blessing the Holy Ghost can be in our lives. It can broaden and extend our horizons and can turn the lights on for us so that we can see more clearly in the shaded areas of life and, in fact, in all areas of our living.”</blockquote>
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The Holy Ghost can help us to see more clearly, and comprehend the incomprehensible. But in order to have this happen, we must be willing to see. We must be humble enough to accept that we have a limited mortal understanding of this mortal part of life, and we must exercise faith in God and the teachings and revelations He has given to us as a guide through this life.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed. …” [<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26.22?lang=eng#21">Alma 26:22</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” [<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/88.63?lang=eng#62">D&C 88:63</a>]</blockquote>
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Let us have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the hearts willing to accept the words of God, as restored and revealed by modern-day prophets through His spirit. I testify that His words are true, that His prophets are inspired, and that we are able to gain a confirmation of these things for ourselves, through the witness of the Holy Ghost. This is my testimony, in the name of Christ, Amen.<br />
<br />
For more posts about the Tuesday afternoon session of the 1971 General Conference, please read these blog posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-april-1971-a-really-round-and-hairy-look-at-honesty"><i>A Really Round and Hairy Look at Honesty</i></a> by J. Max Wilson<br />
<i><a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/01/liminality-and-shaded-areas.html">Liminality in Shaded Areas</a> </i>by Silver Rain<br />
<a href="http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/01/unborrowed-light.html"><i>Unborrowed Light</i></a> by Silver Rain<br />
<a href="http://michaelsthoughtsandideas.blogspot.com/2016/01/he-lives-and-there-were-gold-plates.html"><i>He Lives and There Were Gold Plates</i></a> by Michael Worley<br />
<i><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/01/a-people-blessed-by-revelation/">A People Blessed by Revelation</a> </i>by Ralph Hancock<br />
<a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/the-shaded-areas-of-our-testimony/"><i>The Shaded Areas of Our Testimony</i></a> by Daniel Ortner<br />
<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/12/the-path-out-of-shadows/"><i>The Path Out of Shadows</i> </a>by Nathaniel Givens<br />
<a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2016/01/12/eyes-to-see-ldsconf-odyssey/"><i>Eyes to See</i></a> by Michelle Linford<br />
<a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/01/12/a-pattern-of-life/"><i>A Pattern of Life</i></a> by G.<br />
<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/12/you-have-entered-the-twilight-zone/"><i>You Have Entered the Twilight Zone</i></a> by Walker Wright</div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-12432672843918647562016-01-05T11:14:00.002-07:002016-01-05T11:24:59.532-07:00The Spirit Beareth Record<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng" target="_blank">Tuesday Morning session of the April 1971 General LDS Conference</a>, Boyd K. Packer gave a talk on bearing witness of Jesus Christ.</div>
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Elder Packer had been called just one year before to the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and he related an experience he had prior to his calling:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It has been our privilege this morning to raise our hands to sustain the President of the Church. I count that a great privilege and special obligation, for I have a witness about him.<br />
Some weeks before the meeting of last April, I left the office one Friday afternoon thinking of the weekend conference assignment. I waited for the elevator to come down from the fifth floor.<br />
As the elevator doors quietly opened, there stood President Joseph Fielding Smith. There was a moment of surprise in seeing him, since his office is on a lower floor. As I saw him framed in the doorway, there fell upon me a powerful witness—there stands the prophet of God. That sweet voice of Spirit that is akin to light, that has something to do with pure intelligence, affirmed to me that this was the prophet of God."</blockquote>
As Elder Packer related, this is a witness that we as members of the church are familiar with, or at least one that we <i>should </i>be familiar with. Having a witness of Christ and His appointed leaders and servants is vital to our understanding and devotion to the gospel and its principals.<br />
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Many people have been asked the question of whether we have proof of our testimonies, whether we have seen Him for ourselves, and other versions of those questions.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“… It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.<br />
“And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/12.9-10?lang=eng#8">Alma 12:9–10</a>.)</blockquote>
Like the ordinances of God's temple, a personal witness of Christ is a sacred experience. Though personal experiences with Christ could be proclaimed from the rooftops, too true is the scripture that depicts the casting of one's pearls before swine. Solemn testimony is often met with disbelief and derision by those who are unprepared or unwilling to hear and feel the Spirit of the Lord.<br />
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Nevertheless, we do bear our testimonies of Christ, His gospel, and His prophets. The words used over and over by so many may seem to be trite and unsatisfactory in and of themselves, but the witness of the Spirit can and does bear record of their truth to our minds and hearts.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It was not their words that held the meaning or the power. It was the Spirit. “… for when a man speaketh by the power of the <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/holy-ghost?lang=eng">Holy Ghost</a> the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/33.1?lang=eng#0">2 Ne. 33:1</a>.)</blockquote>
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I, too, want to add my testimony to countless others and declare that I know God lives, that His Son died for us and was resurrected, and that His gospel has been restored and is here on the earth today. I love Him, and I love his gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.<br />
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<i>For more posts on the Tuesday Morning session of the April 1971 General Conference, please see these links below:</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-april-1971-profound-spiritual-experiences-in-an-elevator/">http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-april-1971-profound-spiritual-experiences-in-an-elevator/</a><br />
<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/05/saving-the-lost-battalions/">http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/05/saving-the-lost-battalions/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/01/05/the-secret-life-of-mormons/">http://www.jrganymede.com/2016/01/05/the-secret-life-of-mormons/</a><br />
<a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/i-have-that-witness/">https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/i-have-that-witness/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/01/knowledge-on-whose-terms/">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2016/01/knowledge-on-whose-terms/</a><br />
<a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2016/01/05/gap-insurance-ldsconf-odyssey/">http://mormonwoman.org/2016/01/05/gap-insurance-ldsconf-odyssey/</a><br />
<a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/05/escaping-the-box-through-families/">http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2016/01/05/escaping-the-box-through-families/</a><br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-4770895926417153612015-12-08T07:00:00.000-07:002015-12-08T08:04:09.170-07:00"When Thou Art Converted"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>...and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.</b></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-52818cbc-7d77-8dc2-9891-20d792105b00" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQxGIlZManveNuuI46rJunIqpeKw8aHZ2QcaVOV5Bz9QJXT2FyBkJu5Ir15kgC0LWBKlK3LUlksH1cVU_p9SYixC8AdZcLWK7pYojPSYoTvY5Zn15dWZE02OQWaJazSJOL04M_7SAVKQ/s1600/woman-praying-silhoutte-9a9453118bbae4a0305011d13314d0e2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQxGIlZManveNuuI46rJunIqpeKw8aHZ2QcaVOV5Bz9QJXT2FyBkJu5Ir15kgC0LWBKlK3LUlksH1cVU_p9SYixC8AdZcLWK7pYojPSYoTvY5Zn15dWZE02OQWaJazSJOL04M_7SAVKQ/s400/woman-praying-silhoutte-9a9453118bbae4a0305011d13314d0e2.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Saturday Afternoon session of the April 1971 LDS General Conference, S. Dilworth Young, President of the First Quorum of the Seventy, gave a talk entitled, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/when-thou-art-converted?lang=eng" target="_blank">“When Thou Art Converted.”</a></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He began by speaking of the Lord’s words to Peter, and Peter’s response: “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” But we know what followed. Just as the Lord told Peter that “the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me” <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/22?lang=eng" target="_blank">(Luke 22:32-34)</a>, Peter did deny his association with Christ when faced with accusations and confronted by his own fears.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What about ourselves? Like Peter, do we fear what might happen to us if we are to bravely declare our discipleship? Perhaps we don’t face execution, but instead censure by our associates, friends and family members. Family discord can be one of the most painful things to experience, and it is no small thing to stand up for our God, our Christ, and his prophets on the earth today.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do we continue to declare our devotion to God even when it is so wholly unpopular in our society or in our family? Do we uphold </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of his teachings? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark records that Peter’s vehement declaration of devotion was echoed by the remainder of the apostles in these words: “Likewise also said they all.”<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/14?lang=eng" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/14?lang=eng" target="_blank">(Mark 14:31)</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/14?lang=eng" target="_blank"> </a>Yet when the moment came and a maid accused Peter of being a disciple, he denied the acquaintance. The remaining ten, likewise, despite their own declarations, did not do as they had declared they would do.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When confronted with alternate teachings, societal pressures, family members whom we love and who have chosen a different path, what do we do? Are our actions inconsistent with our declarations? Do our loyal declarations, once made, become something secret or shameful--something that we wish to downplay when in the company of struggling sheep or non-believers?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We see what it means to be converted in the inspired acts of Peter on the day of Pentecost, as compared to his wavering denials on the night of the arrest of the Lord. The man who stood forth on Pentecost was not the same man who had fearfully protested he “knew not the man.” The Paul who after his baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost boldly declared the truth to Agrippa was a completely changed man from the man who was going toward Damascus, seeking out Christians to destroy them.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the crucifixion of Christ and his glorious resurrection and appearance to his disciples, there was a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“resurgence of joy and hope.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The men who had been with and constantly taught by Jesus for years, surely loved Him, but did not know what it meant to be converted until the Holy Ghost “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">visited them and touched their souls with living fire</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, have we been converted? Have our souls burned with knowledge, with truth, and with love for the living gospel? Have we turned to Him and actively sought this conversion?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is our responsibility once we have received this baptism by fire? It is to go and strengthen our brethren. Father, Mother and children all have the responsibility to share the gospel with those who may be persuaded to listen. As we seek out those to whom we preach, we will in turn be strengthened.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Conversion brings strength, determination to the defend the work of the Lord on earth and to expand it...Peter believed and denied. Peter was converted and became a rock against which the power of Satan was impotent. He became determined, fearless, pushed by an inward power strong and true.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gospel is to save the souls of men. It is His great gift to us, and one that we should be eager and proud to share with the world. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please view these other posts on topics from the Saturday afternoon session of the April, 1971 General Conference:</span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sixteensmallstones.org/lds-conference-april-1971-the-sexual-revolution-and-entertainment-media/" target="_blank">LDS Conference April 1971 - The Sexual Revolution and Entertainment Media</a> by J. Max Wilson</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/2015/12/08/good-timber/" target="_blank">Good Timber Does Not Grow at Ease </a>by Nathaniel Givens</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.jrganymede.com/2015/12/08/the-adiabolist-or-jihad-of-the-heart" target="_blank">The Adiabolist, or Jihad of the Heart</a> by G</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2502" target="_blank">Being Slow to Anger</a> by Daniel Ortner</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://goodgazette.blogspot.com/2015/12/warnings-from-warnings-from-past.html" target="_blank">Warnings from Warnings of the Past</a> by John Hancock</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://messages%20on%20morality%2C%20religious%20freedom%2C%20and%20the%20sabbath%20from%201971/" target="_blank">58 Years of General Conference, What Can We Learn? Messages on Morality, Religious freedom and the Sabbath from 1971</a> by Michael Worley</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/soulandcity/2015/12/satan-moral-agency-and-the-problem-of-evil/" target="_blank">"Satan" - Moral Agency and the Problem of Evil</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"> by Ralph Hancock</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://mormonwoman.org/2015/12/07/creativity-and-celebration-of-success-vs-the-d-f-t-file/" target="_blank">Creativity and Celebrating Success vs. The D.F.T. File </a>by Michelle Linford</span></span><br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-3575045168534034782014-06-14T14:53:00.000-06:002014-06-15T18:46:13.292-06:00Probing Beyond the Surface<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've often heard people who consider themselves to be thinking and informed individuals (or groups) refer to others who don't agree with them as "sheep," or "sheeple." They believe that those who disagree with them, or those who still seem content or un-phased by their arguments, must not have given the matter much thought, or that they are, in fact, incapable of doing so.<br />
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This is a common mistake, and it is one that I myself have made before. <br />
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In church, we often listen to discussions about doctrine or social issues by members in our ward or branch. Sometimes their comments sound trite or rote, but the problem with that assumption is that <i>we do not always know how they arrived at their conclusion.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Despite the growing worldwide trend to bare all and share all, many people still maintain an unseen and unshared life. This used to be something that was assumed, that effort was required to get to know a person; that their life experiences, personal struggles and attainments of wisdom were something that were revealed as you took the time to dig below the surface of the smile or scowl, the neat appearance or unkempt ways, the public projection.<br />
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Transparency is not always what we think it is. If we had true transparency, there would be no such thing as privacy, manners, fashion, brave faces, or smiles when we are feeling down. In church, it might become so difficult to get through with all the crying and arguing going on that no one would want to come any more. Your idea of transparency may not be the same as someone else's.<br />
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The same goes for doctrinal issues. The way that someone arrived at a conclusion may have nothing to do with what you think it is. Just because they disagree with you, or seem to repeat the same quotes and ideas that everyone else has done for decades, does not mean that they haven't struggled to get there. You haven't seen the trials and the tears, the study and research, the discussions and arguments, or the overwhelming and incontrovertible revelations that they may have received. You do not know their journey.<br />
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Memes and social commentary video clips love to remind us that appearance isn't everything, and that we do not know what someone may be going through, so treat them kindly. May I extend that reminder to those that you associate with in your religion. Don't make assumptions about the intelligence or ignorance of your fellow members. Don't mistake their conformity for superficiality or lack of depth. Get to know them. Ask some questions. Their knowledge and reasoning may surprise you. You may even learn something that you never knew before. So might they.C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-89086217989707043832014-05-11T17:26:00.000-06:002014-05-11T20:09:04.488-06:00Do Women Have Representation in the LDS Church?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do women have representation in the church? Some people, organizations, and trends would say that no, women in the LDS church do not have adequate representation, because they do not comprise an equal or proportionate amount of the top leadership in the church. If women's voices are not the ones making doctrinal and political decisions, then an organization cannot possibly be aware of all the needs and desires of the women in it, and the women will inevitably be sidelined, suppressed or dismissed.<br />
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While this is true in many ways and in many organizations, it does not and cannot apply to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When it comes to the doctrine and the mission of the LDS church, it will not matter whether it is a man who leads us, because there is one vital difference between the organizations created by man and this one organized by Christ: we do not need to be represented by our leaders.<br />
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The LDS church is a top-down organization. Our leaders do not speak for themselves, and they do not speak for or represent men or women. They speak only for God. Their job is to convey His word to His sheep. Men are not in charge in this church. Christ is in charge, and we can trust in Him. To be represented, we need only drop to our knees in prayer and speak directly to God, asking for guidance, relief and inspiration. Each of us has direct access to Him through prayer, as well as through the intercession of our beloved brother and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we carry His name, He is our representative before our Father.<br />
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To trust in this organization requires that we have a testimony of the restored gospel. If we do not believe that God himself is leading this church, it leaves us open to questioning the motivations behind our doctrine and our policies. If we do not believe that our leaders are representing Christ and acting as His mouthpiece, then we will begin to question why the church is organized the way it is; why, according to the way that we see equality in today's world, our organization seems to an unconverted heart to be completely off-balance in its structure and organization. We cannot look at the organization of the church through the lens of the world. To do so leaves us with a narrow, shallow understanding of His purpose.<br />
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When we speak to our leaders we can be confident that we are on equal footing, that our needs are just as important as another's, and that God is working to serve and succor each one of us through our leaders and fellow-members. We must remember that it is our job, too, to do the same. We are not here to demand structural changes for our own individual needs and wants, even when the lack of our fulfillment may be all that we can see at the moment. This is a worldwide church, with worldwide needs, and God is the one who is guiding us, directing our leaders, and working towards the salvation of all peoples.<br />
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Early on in the church, the Lord made His direct involvement in the church very clear when Brigham Young was transformed in visage and countenance before the people. By giving him the mantle of Joseph Smith's appearance and speech in front of the people, God's will and direct involvement was conveyed to all those who could see it.<br />
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Many of us have had experiences akin to this--miraculous healings, prayers that were answered in an undeniable manner, occurrences that seemed completely inexplicable, even prophetic dreams and spiritual visitations. All of these things, including the simple and sometimes rare experience of feeling the burning of truth in our hearts, have given us testimony of the truth of the restoration of the gospel.<br />
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If you have ever received a witness of the truthfulness of the restored gospel, trust it. Don't forget it. Don't cast it aside before the arguments and persuasions of mankind.<br />
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Fear not. Trust not in the arm of flesh. Do not live by the principles of men. Do not judge by the principles of men. We do not have to fear unrighteous dominion from our prophet and apostles. We do not have to fear their judgement. We do not have to use the tactics and strategies of the world to make sure that we get proper representation before The Lord.<br />
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We are not here to be represented. We are here to be representatives of Christ. He is our mediator with the Father. He represents us all.<br />
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(I highly recommend <a href="http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=795">reading</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCSs4f9DlVM">watching</a> Jeffrey R. Holland's 1999 BYU devotional speech, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence.")<br />
<br />C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-26824978114580732072014-02-03T20:43:00.000-07:002016-01-18T10:23:03.406-07:00Social Change and the Traditional Family Unit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The questions of marriage, children, procreation, and happiness. Are they all the same question, and do they all have the same answer? There’s a lot of debate back and forth. On the one hand, we have those who are pushing for social changes. On the other, we have those who are hesitant or downright against it. Each side has their reasons, and some have good intentions, while some might not. Unfortunately, the debate often seems to have broken down, and instead of reason and discussion, we hear words like “bigoted” and “hateful” being thrown around. Other popular reactions to opposing opinions are to call them “idiotic” or “laughable.”<br />
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Most of us have seen a child throw a tantrum. They cry, point fingers or kick--maybe they throw some things, and scream about how you “hate them,” “never want them to be happy,” and “want them to die.” If it’s in public, it draws a lot of attention, and they often know it and use it to their advantage. Explanations don’t help much at that point, as they don’t really want to listen to reason. They just “want what they want, when they want it.”<br />
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Just as the child who throws a tantrum won’t listen to anyone’s reasons for not giving them what they want, sometimes those who push for radical social change and a redefinition of the traditional family unit don’t want to listen to reason. They “want what they want--right now!” Fingerpointing and name-calling has been used as an effective tool to continue to demand things that may not be the best for them or others. They can’t see a reason why not, so anybody else’s reason must be ridiculous and based on hating them. One can find haters here and there, but using that as an argument against those who resist sweeping social change is juvenile and manipulative thinking. <br />
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What about the debate once we get past the name-calling? What are some possible issues with changes to traditional marriage? Arguments often centers on concern for child development, and by extension the effects it will have on our society.<br />
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Sometimes we hear it said that kids will be fine. We are instructed to look at all the broken marriages, abusive homes and less-than-ideal situations that kids get put through. We are told that most family situations are a huge mess. The argument is that a loving home is surely the most important thing for a child, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a mother, a father, two mothers or two fathers who provide it to them.<br />
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We can all agree that loving homes homes are vital to a child's health and happiness, but the question here is, should we really be trying to bring kids into a less-than-ideal family structure? After all this time, and all of our studies, all the research still points to the traditional family unit as the healthiest environment for kids to grow up in. It's true that abuse happens, parents die or get divorced, and children end up in foster homes or left on the streets. Some kids adapt better to these situations than others. But no one is saying that these situations are ideal for kids.<br />
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Divorced parents who care about their kids spend a lot of time trying to make sure that kids get quality time with both parents, single parents often spend a lot of time trying to make up for the lack of another parent in their children’s lives, and adoption is considered a life-saver for the child who has been abandoned or mistreated. But the ideal situation for kids--and the situation that they deserve if there’s any way to get it for them--is to know their father and their mother and to be loved and nurtured by them.<br />
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You may not believe that the system for raising a family was organized by God, but you still shouldn’t scoff at the idea that traditions shouldn’t be changed just for the sake of change or because you want them to be changed. We have been made to work a certain way, eat a certain diet, and be nurtured and provided for in a particular way. Sure, there’s a little wiggle-room, but how much?<br />
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In the mid-1900’s, science was sure that they had figured it all out, and we began making big changes to our food. It became processed, packaged and fortified. Nutrition experts of the day claimed that fortified food would meet our nutritional requirements. Baby formula was advertised as superior to mother’s milk, and mothers were encouraged to give up nursing in favor of a formula that was supposed to be “better for baby.” Decades later, we’ve learned that these things are not as good. In fact, they can be detrimental to our health. We’ve learned more and more about what our bodies need, and the way in which they need it. Pills and processed packages cannot make up for the optimum package of nutrients delivered to us in whole, natural foods. A lot of what we do with food is done with the intent to reproduce or preserve what nature already gives us. We know by now that we can’t sit on our butts eating potato chips and watching tv all day without serious consequences to our health and longevity. We have particular dietary requirements for optimum health, as well as physical activity requirements for our bodies.<br />
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As we’ve learned these things, we’ve started to idolize them and make them something to be considered desirable in our society. Smoking is now looked down upon, whereas it was once ultra-cool. Exercise and physical fitness is revered, and healthy bodies are things to be coveted and admired. We’ve turned everything around to make each other aware of these issues because we realized that they are something that we aren’t able to ignore without serious personal and societal consequences.<br />
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Take, for instance, the care and nurturing of wild animals in captivity. To take proper care of any animal we know that we are supposed to provide the optimum food, nutrition and environment for them. This includes a social structure that mirrors the one that they would have in the wild. Animals that are not given the social structure that they need become depressed, sick and even aggressive. Many animal rights activists would argue that animals should never be kept in captivity at all, because captivity can never fully mirror the natural environment for the animal.<br />
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If it is so important for an animal to have the proper social structure and nurturing, how can we so confidently make the argument that our traditional social structure is a superficial construct, based on biased and bigoted traditions that should be changed without respect to the impact that it may have on our society and the well-being of our children? Why do we keep trying to carelessly change the things that have always been integral to a functioning society? What do we really know about the traditional structure of the family, except that in its ideal state it produces the happiest and healthiest people? What are we basing this idea of change on, except our desires to have what we want, right when we want it? We were made with this need for parents and nurturing, so who are we to suddenly decide that the traditional structure for raising children is just not as important for kids anymore now that we’re “grownups” and have our own desires? To make the argument that it makes no difference to a child is to make a self-centered and short-sighted moral narrative, leaving aside true consideration for the well-being of children.<br />
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Over and over we’ve seen the harmful manifestations of negative changes in our bodies and psyches, and in our society. Too many changes from our naturally intended environment can hurt us. Environments that don’t nurture us properly can cause mental disorders, depression, aggression, or other antisocial behaviors. What kind of effects would changes to the traditional family structure have? Honestly, we don’t know. All we know right now is that every change away from it so far has not been proven ideal for the development of children.<br />
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We’ve become a rather selfish society, where every social decision seems to be geared towards “what will this do for me.” And not many people are apologizing for that. We seem to be lauding it, encouraging it and perpetuating it. Perhaps in this issue, instead of focusing on ourselves so much, we should focus a little more on what’s best for children, and perhaps we should be trying to figure out why it’s best, instead of just changing things to fit our own needs and desires. Instead of the tantrum-throwing and emotional accusations of hate, we should be considering that others may have very valid and important reasons and concerns that have nothing at all to do with hate or bigotry. You may find haters on both sides of the argument, but nobody intelligent is listening to their rants, except as a useful example to shame each other with.<br />
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Perhaps instead of just being on “our side,” we should be on the same side: the side of humanity, and the side of children.<br />
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-78328961174222175262014-01-02T13:17:00.001-07:002014-05-13T12:44:02.526-06:00We Choose Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some of us suffer. We suffer a lot. We go through pain not of our own choosing. We are robbed of experiences that seem to be the status quo for those around us. We have childhoods that are far from happy-go-lucky; relationships that, instead of being full of love, are in fact steeped in pain and suffering; illness that changes everything; loss that cripples; private pain. Some of us live in a world of uncertainty and conflict, where survival is sometimes the greatest concern. We don't get to "just live life." We go through poverty, hunger, illness, loss, pain and abuse. And that makes us different. Permanently different. Whether our experiences changed us a long time ago or recently, some of us are not like the others, and we know it.<br />
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It can be hard--much more than hard. Hard is just a word. It doesn't describe the pain, the scars, the things that are left behind, or the way that we can't change what happened to us. Sometimes it's hard to just get through life, but other times it's hard to not make comparisons. It can be hard to not be bitter. Sometimes that feeling of loss does not start until later, when you have had enough experience of something else to realize just how different you are from those around you. There is a moment when you realize that your experiences are affecting how you approach the world. Sometimes there are many of those moments, and they can be overwhelming.<br />
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We may not get to choose what happens to us. Some of the effects of our experiences may be permanent. But we do get to choose whether to live in bitterness and anger, or whether to look forward with hope. We choose whether to allow joy into our lives. That is what we get. That is our strength: The power to choose.<br />
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You can choose to be strong. Though you are broken, hurt or damaged, you can choose to look forward. Your choice to choose hope in spite of your suffering can lift you and change you. That choice can wash away the bitterness and the sense of loss. That choice can make you strong. We may not get the chance at innocence, but we do get the chance at strength.<br />
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Sometimes we don't get to just make that choice once and move on. We have to choose it over and over again. We will have to remember to choose to hope. We will have to remember to choose to trust. We will have to remember to choose to have happiness. Our demons may return to haunt us; we may be again thrown into a situation that breaks us down and makes us feel as if we've never moved from where we started. The bitter fingers of pain and despair may return to clutch at our souls. But we don't have to remain that way. We can choose again.<br />
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Every moment that we choose happiness and hope is our victory--every single one. Every time that you make that choice to hope and look forward you are growing and you are becoming stronger. Setbacks do not have to be failures. Sometimes they are heartrendingly unavoidable. Things hurt us and change us, and we are made in such a way that we have to experience it and react to it. But we can experience joy, too. We can choose it. <br />
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You can choose it. And maybe one day you won't have to remember to choose.C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-24067531897004077222013-12-27T13:19:00.000-07:002014-01-02T14:12:07.307-07:00I Am Become<div style="text-align: center;">
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I contemplate sorrow, and it becomes a tear.</div>
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The tear fills me and spills over. </div>
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I tremble with weeping.</div>
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I am become sorrow.</div>
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I cry, and the moment of pain is everlasting.</div>
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My grief stretches into eternity.</div>
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I am encircled by suffering.</div>
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I am become pain.</div>
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I wait, and my waiting becomes a solace.</div>
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My space is the heavens and the earth.</div>
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I am stilled by infinite understanding.</div>
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I am become peace.</div>
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I smile, and my laughter flows through me and around me.</div>
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Gladness runs down my cheeks like rivers.</div>
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I drown in sparkling pools of delight.</div>
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I am become joy.<br />
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Chastity Wilson</div>
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December 27, 2013</div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-18193269046842501372013-10-08T11:42:00.000-06:002014-05-13T12:39:39.704-06:00Doubt vs. Belief<br />
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I have read much on the power of doubt to inspire change. While doubt has its place, I think it is all too often incorrectly celebrated and eulogized as a motivator for change. We seem to be building up a cultural reverence for those who "doubt" as the wise ones of our society.<br />
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Doubt may spark us to question, but it is only the belief that we can find an answer, or the belief that something needs to change, that will motivate us to move past the question. Belief motivates change.<br />
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Throughout history, people have created and shaped societies, searched for truths and solutions to problems, and made discoveries because they were motivated by a belief that they should or could do so. Humans are creatures of belief. It is belief that inspires us to find a new way to do something, belief that inspires the pioneers in every field of science, and belief that moves us to make social and political changes.<br />
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The Founding Fathers of the United States said, "I believe..."<br />
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I believe..."<br />
Mahatma Ghandi said, "I believe..."<br />
Nelson Mandela said, "I believe..."<br />
Even Adolf Hitler said, "I believe..."<br />
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Whether it concerns social, scientific, political or religious matters, belief is what motivates us to work for something we believe is better--even if we're wrong. Belief is what encourages us to effect the change that we want to see in the world. Believers act, move, change and motivate others to change. A person can be full of doubts, yet never move toward finding answers; thus they make no changes and accomplish nothing.<br />
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Belief that we can find an answer encourages us to search. Belief that we have found an answer inspires us to move, to change, and to persuade. Whether to do good or evil, we are motivated by our beliefs.<br />
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Doubt is but a question; belief is an action.C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-17280119728201592782013-10-07T13:36:00.000-06:002013-10-07T13:36:38.651-06:00Strength of Ages<br />
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<b>Strength of Ages</b></h2>
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Yea, thou shalt be my oakless art</div>
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Thou shalt soothe my hopeless heart</div>
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And when the rivers do run dry</div>
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I'll turn and worship from the sky</div>
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Muse and song are all worn down</div>
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Life no longer holds a crown</div>
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Man is but a wandering jade</div>
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Hollowed out by debts unpaid</div>
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Keep the treasure held so dear</div>
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Hold on to elusive air</div>
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Seek and yet ye never find</div>
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Ever worn by sands of time</div>
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Purpose of the unborn child</div>
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Ancient ways so meek and mild</div>
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With the turning of the sun</div>
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vanity is all undone</div>
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Hark! Hark to the sky!</div>
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Hark! Hark to the time!</div>
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Hark! Hark, as He draws near!</div>
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Hark! His standard He will bear!</div>
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Chastity Wilson</div>
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August 28, 2012</div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-60438829694973150672013-07-07T19:49:00.002-06:002014-05-13T12:00:13.717-06:00A Testimony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Roboto-Regular; font-size: 14px;">I know that God lives, and that He has restored His gospel on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith saw and met with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and was taught by them.</span><br />
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The answer is not in the people, places and things out there. It comes from within. He will speak to us through the power of His spirit. He can heal our lives. I'm grateful for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me. </div>
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He knows our hearts. I know that He knows mine, and that He answers my prayers. He knows who I am, at all moments of my life. He knows my sufferings and my joys. He will recognize me in the end, and I know that I will recognize Him, the one who has been my support and strength through all the trials of my life.</div>
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His truth fills me with knowledge, power and peace. He has made me strong. Because of Him, when I fall, I can stand back up again. I don't have to give up, or admit defeat. Because of Him, I will never be alone.</div>
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The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to heal hearts and change lives. I testify of this in His name.</div>
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<a href="http://www.mormon.org/">www.mormon.org</a></div>
C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-30259366445708274642013-02-26T15:40:00.000-07:002014-05-13T12:38:26.737-06:00Murder on the Internet Express<div>
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Social media today has made the spreading of information quick and simple. Our pictures, our points of view, indeed every aspect of our lives can be quickly shared with multitudes of people with only a few clicks and shares. Learning how to use that media appropriately, and drawing new boundaries between what should and should not be shared with the world, seems to be an ongoing learning process.</div>
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Most people, especially those within the LDS church have heard more than one Sunday School lesson on bearing false witness and a lesson or two on gossip. Yes, we know that we should not lie about others. It can cause all kinds of problems.</div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br />"Murder, adultery, and stealing, dealing with respectively with life, virtue, and property, are generally considered more serious offenses before the law than the bearing of false witness. And yet, what the latter may lack in severity, it more than makes up for in prevalence. As a matter of fact, most of the readers of these lessons will most likely shun--the first three of these major social offenses; but consciously or unconsciously, we may all at times be tempted into the carelessness of rumor and other forms of bearing false witness. <br /><br />"To bear false witness is to pass along reports, insinuations, speculations, or rumors as if they were true, to the hurt of a fellow human being. Sometimes it comes from a lack of correct information--sometimes from lack of understanding, or misunderstandings--sometimes from a vicious disposition to distort and misrepresent. <br /><br /> "Whereas murder involves the taking of human life, bearing false witness centers in the destruction of character or its defamation. It reaches to the ruin of reputation." (Elder Adam S. Bennion, "The Ninth Commandment," Ten Commandments Today, pp. 134-136)</span><div>
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But what if we're only "telling like it is," at least from our perspective? Lest we excuse ourselves by saying, "well everything that I reported was 100% true, take a moment to read D&C 42:27.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">27 Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 42)</span><div>
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We are told that not just bearing false witness, but any evil speaking of one's neighbor is forbidden. This has been something discouraged since very early on in the church. We should not be "murdering" others' reputations. Grievances are not to be aired in public, naming names or titles. The church has always encouraged first trying to work something out with someone personally, and then if there is still a true rift or inability to come to agreement or understanding, one or two priesthood leaders can then be involved, visiting that person with you to address the problem. It is only if after that point there are no resolutions to be found that any further measures should be taken. And they usually don't involve public accusation. </div>
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How does this relate to the Internet? Anything that you type into a public forum or onto a blog becomes publicly searchable and viewable. Things that you post on your blog can be copied, pasted or linked to, and things posted on social sites can be liked, commented on and shared. At that point you no longer have any control over where the information goes or how it is used. A rant about or accusation of another in a moment of anger can quickly become the focus of a lot of attention. Since our interaction on social media sites usually consists of people who like or care about us in some way, these tirades will often garner a lot of sympathy and support for you and your plight. They also will often make many unkind comments about the person who offended you. People can only know what you posted. They usually don't and can't know what is in the minds and hearts of both people involved in a conflict. This leads to more misunderstandings, frustrations and reputation-damaging than could have been originally intended. And in the meantime, nothing has been solved. You've aired your frustrations, demonized another person, and have been given permission to hate them by your internet friends. Feelings of anger and injustice might even become amplified as your friends point out other aspects of just how wrong the other person's behavior clearly is. That person's reputation has now been tarnished, and a bigger rift has been created. What may have at first been just an accident, misunderstanding, or even just a bad day, has grown into character defamation of unknown proportions, and the problem has become much harder to just sit down and talk about in order to clear the air. Frankly, things are going to be solved much more quickly by discussing something one-on-one than by complaining to the Internet or any other public group of people. The verses below shed some light on the proper way to address our concerns:<span style="color: #990000;"><br /><br /><br />88 And if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take him or her between him or her and thee alone; and if he or she confess thou shalt be reconciled. <br /><br /><br />89 And if he or she confess not thou shalt deliver him or her up unto the church, not to the members, but to the elders. And it shall be done in a meeting, and that not before the world. <br /><br /><br />90 And if thy brother or sister offend many, he or she shall be chastened before many. <br /><br /><br />91 And if any one offend openly, he or she shall be rebuked openly, that he or she may be ashamed. And if he or she confess not, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of God. <br /><br /><br />92 If any shall offend in secret, he or she shall be rebuked in secret, that he or she may have opportunity to confess in secret to him or her whom he or she has offended, and to God, that the church may not speak reproachfully of him or her. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 42)</span><br />
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Let me point out that offending someone openly and rebuking them openly probably has nothing to do with hearing someone say something that you consider horribly wrong and then defaming them on the Internet. It is much more likely that it is speaking about the person who is doing the public defaming. Let's not be the ones making that mistake. There are three verses there that talk about private confrontation. Clearly, it is important to go about things in a more circumspect manner than is now the fashion, given such immediate access to media and public validation of our feelings.</div>
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This problem also ties into the many exhortations to unity in the church. If we are fighting amongst ourselves, getting upset that this or that person said something wrong in church or a private interview with a church leader and publicly calling them out on it, it is doing more to hurt the work of The Lord than it is to help. And isn't the work of The Lord more important than your personal grievance or pet theory or belief? Should we choose to defend one interpretation or aspect of the gospel while simultaneously ignoring the calls to charity, long-suffering, single-mindedness, unity, no evil-speaking your leaders, or even just being the better person? Note that I am not referring here to responding those who already post their views publicly online, sometimes with the inent to harm or "change" the church. A public response to a public article or interview is probably just right and fits well with verse 91 above, though there's nothing wrong with sending the offender a private communication first in order to get clarification and seek a resolution. I am mostly referring to personal grievances and public "outing" of your neighbor who misspoke in church or elsewhere.</div>
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Satan encourages contention over doctrine. We have many times been warned as a people that Satan will use this tool against us. It is not a tool of The Lord.</div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br />28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. <br /><br /><br />29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi, Chapter 11)</span></div>
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A public attack on another cannot be an appropriate response to one's attack (real or perceived) on you, your particular beliefs, or your lifestyle. If someone has offended you or sinned against you, perhaps you should just take a moment (or a day or two or three) to consider both sides, points of view or circumstances, approach the person if necessary, and then if you simply must respond publicly about it, it can often be done without accusation and naming persons or titles. An issue that you consider a problem can instead be posed as a response to a general problem or belief that is prevalent within the church or population, because it is almost certain that there are many more than one person thinking or behaving that way. You are likely to win over more hearts and minds with your sincere testimony of the truth of a thing than you are if you attack, belittle or publicly defame another child of God. Can the Spirit of Truth be present in your public rant? The spirit of contention certainly is.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">"If we, in our wards and our branches, are divided, and there are factions not in harmony, it is but and evidence that there is something wrong. If two persons are at variance, arguing on different points of doctrine, no reasonable, thinking persons would say that both were speaking their different opinions by the Spirit of the Lord..." (Elder Harold B. Lee, In Conference Report, Apr. 1950)</span><div>
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Even when someone is disfellowshipped or excommunicated from the church, there is usually no public announcement made of their sins. Why? Because we believe in repentance and the atonement. Public defamation damages the ability of someone to live anew after repentance because "everyone knows what that person is really like. So-and-so told us all about it." The reputation that you gave them could follow them around forever--damaging interpersonal relationships, ward relationships and family relationships. </div>
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Gossip (and yes I will call it gossip because of its harmful nature) requires us to first harden our heart towards the other person and then cause them harm. The people that are in the "in" group are the ones that hear your messages about them, while the one being gossiped about has been put into the "out" group. That is a separation, not a unification. When trying to make someone look bad while gossiping about them, factors are often left out in order to reinforce your information and opinion as correct. The person being gossiped about is in a sense "dehumanized" in order to be worthy of vilification or other generalizing sentiments. Is this the type of feeling that we want to encourage in our families, our church and our own hearts? It seems very far from "loving one's neighbor as thyself." We always have excuses for our own behavior--reasons why we may have acted or reacted the way we did, but the person being gossiped about is afforded no opportunity for explanation or clarification as the "news" is being passed on.</div>
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The person on the receiving end of gossip and internet gossip often has no idea that they are being gossiped about and their reputation destroyed. This is not only dishonest on the part of the gossiper for not confronting them in person, but it prevents the victim from defending themselves or offering a counter-explanation. Even if it is discovered by them, how can they be sure to reach all the people who have heard or passed on the gossip in order to correct the misinformation? If they were in the wrong and did repent of their sin, how will that be communicated to all the people who heard the gossip? Gossip is isolating and harmful to others. It works well for a tabloid, but prevents us from being united in love, fellowship and harmony. Used among the saints, it only increases anxiety and distrust of each other. People can be denied love or acceptance because of another's careless words, which on the receiving end can be much more painful to some souls than others. </div>
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Above all, let us not with our words attempt to socially block another from the gift of the atonement which we have so often partaken of. While receiving the atonement of Christ has nothing to do with what other people say or think of you, those that symbolically deny someone the atonement with their words do great harm not only in the minds of others but in their own souls. One cannot partake of atonement and forgiveness and then verbally deny that to others without being one who draws near with their lips, "but their hearts are far from me."</div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /> 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. <br /><br />5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; <br /><br /> 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; <br /><br /> 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. <br /><br />8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. <br /><br />9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter Chapter 1)</span><div>
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Yes, there can be exceptions to these teachings. Everyone can always find their exception, and in some cases it is absolutely right to publicize the secret acts of those that represent a danger to others.</div>
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As representatives of Christ on the earth, we need to be striving to represent him well both at home and in public. Pettiness, condescension, and maligning of others doesn't fit with someone who should be following the spirit and seeking to model their life after that of Christ. Our words need to represent Him as much as possible. Yes, we all have bad days, but we should work to make sure that our bad day doesn't ruin someone else's life and reputation.</div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-37238094685410184842013-01-31T14:16:00.000-07:002013-10-08T11:58:29.007-06:00On Beauty<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>(A while back a friend of mine asked people to write some of their thoughts on "Being Beautiful" for a Young Women's mutual activity. It was a great idea, and she got some wonderful responses from women that I love and admire. These were my own thoughts.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When I think of a beautiful person, I think of the whole person, complete with their personality traits. This person is usually a friend or family member; someone that I love. This image usually includes them smiling.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Contrary to what the media would have us believe, a beautiful person is much more than their physical appearance. When we know someone who is physically gorgeous, but is also selfish, self-centered or snide, the bubble quickly bursts. Outside of junior high, nobody wants to be like that person at all. Most of us enjoy being around happy people, loving people, fun people, awesome people--people who give and share of themselves in all their different ways.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Beautiful people are beautiful all around. Their beauty affects their entire being. They really do glow from the inside out. We want to be around them, because they make others feel happy, comfortable and loved. The world is a better place because they are in it. There is always a lot more to say about them than, “She’s pretty,” or, "He's handsome."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As I come to know someone, their beauty starts to jump out at me. It is much more than the first </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">impression of good looks. All of a sudden I see the liveliness or depth of their eyes, their smile that </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">makes me smile, the particular shade of their hair, the shape of their face that is their own, unique </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">beauty--a beauty that I would never want to change. I notice beautiful things about them in their </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">expressions, their actions, their way of saying something, their grace, their frankness, their individual </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">style, their exuberance, their zest for life, and their love for those around them. Their looks and </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">personality come together to make a beautiful whole. The people I know are much more beautiful to</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> me than when I first met them. Their beauty grows as I grow to know them. At first they were just a face, now they are a person.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Perhaps the media displays physical perfection as the ultimate goal because for materialists there is no other goal. When our eternal purpose is left out of the picture, there is not much else of meaning that can be shown in a photograph. There is only physical appeal and the public reaction to that appeal. Mother Teresa was never photographed because of her outward beauty, but because of the beauty of her whole self.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If one’s ambition is to pursue this fleeting physical beauty, it doesn’t matter how beautiful and physically perfect they are. It will never be enough. There will always be someone more beautiful, or something better that one could or should achieve, as there is no divine sense of self in such a fruitless endeavor. The phrases “self-acceptance” and “feeling fulfilled” may at times seem like empty words, but the feeling that comes from this is wholesome, satisfying and completely different from the feelings that come from public approval. It’s like the difference between eating candy and eating a good meal. One of them feels great for a few minutes, the other provides feelings of contentment, strength and endurance.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When one has a higher purpose, when one feels loved and accepted, when one feels able to do the things they want to do in life--the need for that perfect appearance quickly fades into the background. Instead of being consumed with achieving something so unfulfilling, one has the time to become truly beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love the feeling I get when I have worked hard to do something. I love learning new things. I am </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">truly happy when helping others, serving God and my family, and knowing that I am </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">part of </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">something wonderful--knowing that I can shine.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Whenever I start to get caught up in the dazzle and distortion of worldly perfection, I ask myself: What would I do if I lost a limb tomorrow, or if I were burned in a fire? What if I could no longer look like my best self? What would my attitude be? Would I waste my time lamenting forever? What would help my family, my children and me? What would I want to be known for, if there were no way that I could be known for any kind of physical beauty?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I know what I would want. I would want to be one of those inspiring people who get out and overcome things and accomplish things against all odds. I would want to be the mother who changes her babies' diapers with her feet, or the woman who runs a marathon on prosthetic legs, or the great lady who is brave enough to show her scarred self to the world--still able to raise a family with love, active enough in the world to make a difference, and there to inspire others. Thinking of all the admirable things to be, which good things can I choose out of them that will stick with me no matter what physical shape I’m in? What will last after I’m gone? What will I be known for? Most importantly, what will continue on as part of "me" forever? I want my beauty to be something tangible, something that makes a difference.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The fashion of beauty is always changing. There is always another pretty face or body to look at. There will always be a current trend. There may be anything about me that defines me enough to make me an example to the whole world, but I can focus on becoming the most beautiful person that I can possibly be--inside and out. Living without the aim of worldly adoration is truly living. It is the only way to develop into your true and purest self. And that self is original and incomparable. That is how you shine.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One day my youth will be gone, and there won’t be any going back. I hope that on that day I will have lines on my face. I hope they’re from a beautiful life, well-lived. I hope they’re from smiling.</span>C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4105735601639149207.post-14150917442085894692013-01-29T21:38:00.001-07:002014-05-13T12:33:46.054-06:00The Spirit Withdrawn From the Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gNMR1AjvpEc-wkZyC_D9yZRlL7sLrUwyiy16PRJe2SbEKXUktYrBXe-FVdRLEdjVCz9DMS2uqNkY_tl_Nnsgf2V0EHvB-LbJmj1Cf5F9HyRL1-ZknyC0lPXY-dVke8OuKuwp0txve4Q/s1600/I_cry_alone____by_incredi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gNMR1AjvpEc-wkZyC_D9yZRlL7sLrUwyiy16PRJe2SbEKXUktYrBXe-FVdRLEdjVCz9DMS2uqNkY_tl_Nnsgf2V0EHvB-LbJmj1Cf5F9HyRL1-ZknyC0lPXY-dVke8OuKuwp0txve4Q/s320/I_cry_alone____by_incredi.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year in Gospel Doctrine class, I have been using the Institute D&C Student Manual to study along with the sections. One of the (many) interesting quotes that I have read while going through this manual is by Joseph Fielding Smith, given in 1967, and addresses the state of the world today regarding the Lord's Spirit, or the Spirit of Christ, being on the earth. I had never heard this before, and it took me by surprise:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">“Now the Lord has withdrawn His Spirit from the world. Do not let this thought become confused in your minds. The Spirit He has withdrawn from the world is not the Holy Ghost (for they never had that!), but it is the light of truth, spoken of in our scriptures as the Spirit of Christ, which is given to every man that cometh into the world, as you find recorded in Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants.“Now because of the wickedness of the world, that Spirit has been withdrawn, and when the Spirit of the Lord is not striving with men, the spirit of Satan is. Therefore, we may be sure that the time has come spoken of in Section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants. . . . Peace has been taken from the earth. The devil has power over his own dominion. The Spirit of the Lord has been withdrawn. Not because the Lord desires to withdraw that Spirit, but because of the wickedness of mankind, it becomes necessary that this Spirit of the Lord be withdrawn.” (The Predicted Judgments, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 21 Mar. 1967], pp. 5–6.)</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This leads me to assess the wickedness and atrocities of the world in a slightly different manner, and I understand more why things seem to be moving so quickly in the opposite direction from righteousness. If Satan has power over his dominion (the earth), then we are going to be constantly battling against him, instead of just trying to prevent the spread of his influence. If we have had His spirit withdrawn from the earth, are we not like the Nephites who had His spirit withdrawn from them? Will it return to the earth before the second coming of Christ? </span></div>
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C. Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480275079961865693noreply@blogger.com0