“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ... Order my steps in thy word” (Psalms 119:105, 133).
First, let me testify that the scriptures do illuminate our path and order our feet. That’s the purpose of the scriptures: To teach us who we are and what we can become. Scriptures also tell us how tell us how to reach our full divine potential.
But there is, sadly, a force that runs counter to the beautiful and illuminating word of God. This force seeks to darken our minds and blight our understanding—of course, I’m talking about Satan. We know that one of the ways Satan has tried to darken our path has been to steal plain and precious truths from the Bible.
As the angel of the Lord told Nephi:
“Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God . . . because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them” (1 Nephi 13:28-29).
Satan intentionally robbed the Bible of some of its precious truths. But, fortunately, we live in a day where truth has been restored. The Lord promised Nephi: “I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:34).
We are so blessed to live in a day when the Lord has restored His word. And we are so blessed that the Lord has restored two texts, which were removed from holy writ by a cunning adversary—but restored by a loving Lord! These books are the Books of Moses and Abraham. Of the precious truths contained in these books, there is one truth that really stands out—the doctrine of our divine nature.
In studying the experience Moses had with visits from the Lord and Satan in Moses 1, and in studying the scriptures on our premortal life in Moses 4 and Abraham 3, my heart is filled with gratitude that I have this understanding of who I am and why I’m here. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of my own divine nature.
It’s also clear in these chapters that our Father wants us to know of our divine heritage, but Satan doesn’t want us to realize the royalty that lives within us. And therein, lies a great struggle between the forces of good and evil.
What is it that makes divine nature such a powerful doctrine? Why is it that the forces of good and the forces of evil tussle on this issue? The power of this doctrine comes in its ability to motivate individuals to follow Christ.
President Hinckley puts it this way: “Can you imagine a more compelling motivation to worthwhile endeavor than the knowledge that you are a child of God, the creator of the universe, our all-wise Heavenly Father, who expects you to do something with your life, and who will give help when it is sought for” (emphasis added).
Conversely, a rejection of our divine nature is hazardous. I found something that was said in my stake’s priesthood meeting a few weeks ago to be very interesting. One of the high councilmen told us that the antidote to sin is to love ourselves. He said we are most prone to sin when we don’t love ourselves. By persuading us that we are not noble, that we are not loved and cared for by a Heavenly Father, Satan hopes to transform our self-loathing into sin. So he sets in our minds cruel perceptions of what we should be through self-defeating comparisons of ourselves to others. And when we don’t measure up, he whispers: “You’re not good enough.” Or “You’re not smart enough.” Or “You’re not good-looking enough.” Or “You’re not strong enough.” And when you are at a weak point, he’ll whisper to you, “No one likes you; no one loves you. Why would they?” Or he’ll say, “Why keep trying? You can’t change; you can’t make it!”
These are lies. Please don’t buy the lie! The truth is that you probably are the exact thing you think you’re not.
You are a noble son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. He know you. He loves you. He has given you talents and abilities. He has not sent you to Earth at this time to fail; rather, He has sent you here because He knows you can succeed.
Don’t buy Satan’s false perceptions of you—Instead, believe your Father’s accurate perceptions of you.
By realizing who you are, you give yourself a protection against Satan’s darts. Such was the case with Moses. When Satan tempted Moses, Moses replied: “I am a son of God” (Moses 1:13). Moses’ understanding of his divine nature allowed him to shun Satan’s temptations. Moses wasn’t about compromise who he was. We should follow that example when we are tempted:
· Dress immodestly? No way! I’m a daughter of God!
· Watch that movie? No way! I’m a son of God!
· Break the Word of Wisdom? No way! I’m a child of God!
· View pornography? No way! I’m a son of God! (To which I might add, pornography is one of Satan’s ways of ruining the divinity of womanhood and also ruining the love a couple has for each other.)
Besides Moses, the scriptures give us another tale of one who responded to temptation with a statement of who He was. This was Christ—and his second temptation dealt with Satan asking Christ to prove who He was:
“And [Satan] saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:6-7).
What was Christ saying there? Don’t tempt me! I’m the son of God! I already know who I am.
Like Christ, you don’t need a dramatic sign to tell you of your divine nature. You just need to remind yourself who you are. You can start by looking in the mirror—you are created in God’s image. You have His spiritual DNA. And, you can listen to that still, small voice through which a loving Father communicates His love notes to His children while they are away. Many times, in my life, I have felt reassured; I have felt loved; and I have been reminded that I have a Father who cares by listening to that still, small voice.
How grateful I am for the Comforter. I have needed that comfort often. And I have received it as often as I have needed it—because my Father is not distant or disinterested; He is near, and He cares! Recently, I read Christ’s statement: Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him (Matthew 6:8, emphasis added). How does He know? Because He knows us. He knows us! He knows you! And He is not a disinterested observer. He cares. He does. I know He cares because of the answers I’ve received to my prayers, the comfort I’ve received in my sorrows and the burning feeling of love I get from the Spirit. From all this, I am convinced—indeed, I know—we are His children.
As important as it is know that we are God’s children, it’s of equal import to recognize that those around us also share that same divine nature. Our Heavenly Father, like any parent here, wants his children to be treated well. That’s why the great commandment to love your neighbor is second only to the commandment to love God.
A lawyer once asked Jesus a question about the second commandment: Who is my neighbor?
“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
“And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
“And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
“And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
“And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
“And he [the lawyer] said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:30-37).
On our life’s path, we aren’t too likely to find people beat up and left for dead. But we are likely to find those who are wounded from life’s realities—the disappointments, setbacks, heartbreaks, heartaches, cruel words, unjust comparisons of themselves to others, sins, prejudices, etc.
What is our duty to them?
“There are so many who have been injured and who need a good Samaritan,” said President Hinckley, “to bind up their wounds and help them on their way. A small kindness can bring a great blessing to someone in distress and a sweet feeling to the one who befriends him.”
When I was a boy scout, when we went camping, not only were we expected to pick up after ourselves and leave no trace that we were ever there, but our leaders also had us pick a trash-bag’s worth of other people’s litter. “Scouts leave an area better than they find it,” they’d say.
Shouldn’t the same apply to the people we meet on life’s path? What a blessing it would be if we could say that each person we meet was somehow bettered because their path crossed ours.
Recently, one of my friends, Lee, reminded me of the importance of recognizing the divine nature of others. Another of my friends made a disparaging remark about an acquaintance. Lee responded quickly with the reminder, “C’mon, she’s a daughter of God!” In recognizing her divine nature, Lee asked us to remember that such a remark is unbefitting one who is the spiritual offspring of God.
I’ve thought about the subject even more recently, as I heard a friend talk about the excitement surrounding her impending motherhood. I find something interesting about all of this. Human beings are generally born one a time (exceptions, twins and triplets--but what I'm about to say holds true for them as well). Thus, every human being has a mother who went through exactly what my friend is going through to bring them into the world. And those mothers shared the same excitement my friend has for her son’s arrival. And when the child was born, they, like my friend will, just loved their child so much. Really, can anything be as precious in this world as a child is to its mother?
Yet, there is a love that is even more powerful than the love a mother has for her child. It's the love the Savior has for us:
"For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me" (1 Nephi 21:15-16).
In other words, the Savior is saying, “There's a better chance your mother will forget you than there is that I will forget you.”
I think I'm beginning to get a sense of the worth of a soul. And when I start thinking about how much each individual on this globe is loved by its mother and God, I start thinking, "Shouldn't I treat someone who is loved with respect? How does that person's mother want her child to be treated? How does my Heavenly Father want that person to be treated?" Isn't the measure of dignity in how we treat people from whom we can gain nothing? I mean, everyone can be nice to a king, but isn't greatness in how we treat the peasants?
What if everyone took that approach--to treat each human being with as much love as their mothers and Heavenly Father have for them? Would there be teasings, war, etc.? Would anyone want to participate in the demeaning practice of pornography? Would anyone want to hurt another? I wonder. Isn’t there a love from a mother for a child, and from a Heavenly Father for a child, that deserves something of a reverence? They are, after all, the children of a King, the children of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth? Would you mistreat a prince? Yet, every one you meet is of royal blood!
How much is a human being worth?
The Psalmist wrote: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalms 8:3-5).
On earth, man is a little lower than the angels. But isn’t man’s truth worth his ability to become like God?
That is our possibility. That is our neighbor’s possibility. Our goal should be to foster the divinity that is within us and within them.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Sunday, January 01, 2006
RELIGION: The first gift of the New Year
Happy New Year!! I’ve timed this message to coincide with the New Year. Longtime readers of this blog (I guess that’s really only me!) will remember this quote from Elder John A. Widstoe: “Our first gift at Christmas should be to the Lord.”
I’m going to amend that a little bit and say our first gift of the New Year is should be to the Lord. And what shall we give? It’s more about what will we give up! A piece of our ungodliness—that’s what we shall give, so that our lives can reflect His more fully.
This isn’t a radical concept; rather, there is a term for this first gift of the New Year with which we are all familiar—New Year’s Resolution. A New Year’s Resolution is merely changing our poor qualities into good ones.
A resolution maker must ask this question: What do I want to change? A person making a resolution as a gift to the Lord takes a twist on this: What does the Lord want me to change?
To me, this is a pure-hearted desire: I want to be what Christ wants me to be.
Life is a journey; every incremental improvement gets us closer to our Eternal Goal—the Celestial Realm. It should be noted that we chose this journey of mortality for a purpose—to become as God is. It’s our everyday challenge to shed the shackles of human impulse, subdue the appetites and quiet the natural man in order to become more like our Father.
In the last week, I have been reading “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and, today, I went to see the movie based on those books—specifically, this movie is based on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.”
The story is well-known. Four children enter Narnia to become crowned king—much like we entered the world to be glorified by the Father through the merits of the Son’s Everlasting Atonement. But one of the four, Edmond, leaves the path he should be traveling and goes off chasing his appetites (Turkish delights), and nearly loses his place as a King of Narnia. Fortunately, for Edmond and all of us who have strayed from the gospel path to foolishly chase after appetites; there was a way back. Although the Path back had to be blazed through a Selfless Sacrifice of Love. Having known what Aslan did for him, Edmond dedicated his life to Aslan’s cause. Likewise, we must dedicate our lives to Christ’s cause—by doing those things that help us reflect his image.
Christ told his disciples on two continents to be examples:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
“Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
“Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (3 Nephi 12:14-16).
Letting that light shine means doing his will. It means letting our example illuminate the way for others, so that they too may follow. But when we allow the Light of Christ to shine through us, it doesn’t just light others’ paths; it also lights our own.
As the Psalmist wrote: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105).
What will light our path is following the course Christ has created:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Jesus has carved the route of our journey, but we must have the courage to follow it.
The Book of Mormon tells of two major journeys—that of the Nephites and that of the Jaredites. Both of them are instructive.
To Lehi and his family, the Lord had offered the Land of Promise—much like how he offers us the Celestial Kingdom. But parts of Lehi’s family—Laman and Lemuel—were reluctant to make the journey. After journeying through the Arabic desert for nearly a decade, Lehi’s family reached a beautiful place, a land they called Bountiful “because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish” (1 Nephi 17:5).
It was comfortable! It was great for Laman and Lemuel—who were always acting out of fear rather than faith—to finally be in a place where they had comfort. For Laman and Lemuel, this was far enough. They hadn’t met their ultimate goal, but they were in a place where they could be comfortable.
Many of us, including myself, are like Laman and Lemuel—we settle for mediocrity because we do not wish to be uncomfortable. We do not wish to think of our weaknesses—we wish simply to live as easily as we can.
Nephi, however, wanted his destiny—he wanted what the Lord had offered him: A spot in the Promised Land. After conversing with the Lord, Nephi begins to construct a ship; he begins to make the changes necessary to get into the Promised Land.
Laman and Lemuel resist these changes for the sake of their own comfort: “And thus my brethren ... were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord” (1 Nephi 17:18).
Laman and Lemuel were unwilling to sacrifice their comforts so that they could have a better land. Eventually, they got there kicking and screaming, but Laman and Lemuel are prototypes of those settle when they could have had more; of those who do not become like God because they believe the change is to difficult; and, most of all, of those do not become like God because they do not consider what God’s will for them is.
Nephi, however, was smart enough to recognize that he had not fulfilled God’s will. God wanted him in the Promised Land. This was a problem, for Nephi had a weakness: He was on the wrong side of the ocean. Rather than be content that he couldn’t change his situation, Nephi went and humbled himself before the Lord and the Lord showed Nephi how to get across the waters.
Nephi succeeded because he first recognized the weakness in himself. He asked for help: “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” (1 Nephi 17:9). He said, “I need help here! I want to do what you want me to do, but I need some help.” Did the Lord respond? Yes, he did! Nephi succeeded.
You get the feeling that Nephi wasn’t a great man by chance? Rather, he was a great man because he was willing to be like clay on the potter’s wheel (Jeremiah 18:6). Nephi wasn’t great by chance; he was great by choice. And Laman and Lemuel weren’t mediocre by chance, but by choice! Nephi took the time to find out the Lord’s will concerning him; he had the courage to ask what he needed to change and he had the courage to find out the route he had to follow to overcome his obstacles. That, my friends, is how you build a Christ-like life.
We could all benefit from a little soul-searching. What are our weaknesses? Really, that is what New Year’s Resolutions are all about—a self-inventory and then saying, I want to change this about myself.
And with the Lord’s help, we can change! We can be better!
Too often, though, a test comes quickly when we begin to consider our weaknesses—we fall prey to that nasty little voice that says, “I’m not good enough; I can’t change.” That is a lie—one of the most prevalent lies spread by the Adversary to prevent men from coming unto Christ.
The Lord would have you realize otherwise. Your weaknesses are not shortcomings but obstacles on the Pathway to Perfection:
“I give unto men weakness that they may be humble,” the Lord has told us (Ether 12:27). Thus, the Lord gave each person a weakness—more accurately, many weaknesses—to overcome in order to be perfected in Christ.
And how do we overcome this? “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27--verse appears in its entirety at the end of this article).
What makes this verse so interesting is what is happening in the verses before it. Moroni, the last of the Nephites who is compiling the Jaredite record, begins to sulk because of his weakness-his inability to satisfactorily express his faith on the plates. Moroni bemoans how hard it is to inscribe the letters because of the awkwardness of his hands:
“And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
“Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words” (Ether 12:24-25).
The wonderful promise in verse 27 is then revealed to Moroni. And isn't interesting that in the next few pages, we see this Moroni-who had beheld his weakness in recording this record upon the gold plates-etches into the record the scripture missionaries go door-to-door to spread, Moroni 10:3-5:
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:3-5).
This is The Great Dare of Mormonism: Read the Book of Mormon, ponder it, pray about it—and God will tell you by His Spirit that it is true. I have taken this challenge. I have read. I have pondered. I have prayed. And the Spirit hath borne record that it is true—not just once, but many, many times. And a testimony burns within my heart at this time. And it’s not just been me who has searched, pondered, prayed and found—but millions and millions and millions of people have. And they too believe. This Great Dare was made by Moroni—a man of great faith—whose faith shines in these great verses. The man who was once worried that we would mock must be pleased that so many of us believe. His is but one example of the Lord making weak things become strong.
Isn’t that great? The Lord shows us through Moroni that we can change. But not just Moroni—so many of the great scriptural heroes first started as weak people—who then humbled themselves before the Lord, and, the Lord, made their weak things become strong unto them. Look at the great litany of scriptural heroes of whom this is true:
· Alma the Younger spent his early days persecuting the true believers. After an angel confronted him, he spent three days in torment because he believed he could not change. Then, he remembered his father teaching about one Jesus Christ. Alma prayed to Christ and received the forgiveness he sought. We remember Alma as one of the greatest prophets of the Book of Mormon.
· The Four Sons of Mosiah, Alma’s companions in persecuting the church, also reformed their lives at the angel’s appearance. They spent 14 years among the Lamanites, converting many of their enemies.
· Paul is a companion story to Alma’s. He too began persecuting the church, was rebuked by an angel and then became a powerful missionary.
· Peter thrice denied the Christ. But he was forgiven and placed as the head of the Church.
· Alma the Elder started out as a priest in the court of Wicked King Noah, but he received Abinadi’s call to repentance and became a mighty prophet.
· The Anti-Nephi-Lehies went from bloodthirsty soldiers to such devoted followers of Christ that they laid down their lives rather than break the covenant they had made with their Lord. Among the Anti-Nephi-Lehies were the great mothers of Helaman’s Army, who started out as sinners and are now hailed as the great example of motherhood.
The message here is clear: We can change!! We can! We really can! The Lord can help us! Make those resolutions with confidence--the confidence not in yourself, but in Christ!
The second great journey of the Book of Mormon is the Jaredites. They showed us dependency on the Lord. We have already talked about how Christ created the way and how his words light the way—the Brother of Jared reiterated this point for us, when he asked the Lord to be the light for the Jaredite journey:
“And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea” (Ether 3:4).
The Brother of Jared asked Christ to light his path. We may ask the same through our humble prayers, and He shall respond.
“And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness” (Ether 6:3).
Not only did Christ light the path, but he also provided the power, which moved the Jaredites:
“And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.
“And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
“And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
“And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind” (Ether 6:5-8).
I like this journey description because it sounds familiar? Buried in the depths of the sea? Man, have I felt like that! And who rescued me? Christ!! And where do Christ’s path, His wind and His words all lead us? Toward the Celestial Kingdom—to a safe return to our Heavenly Father.
Like Nephi, like the Brother of Jared, we can get there. We don’t have to settle for mediocrity like Laman and Lemuel did, we can stretch ourselves to greater lengths, and the Lord will help us achieve our destiny.
A New Year’s Resolution is part of shedding those habits that will hold back our progress. It’s a courageous attempt to say, “I can change, and I will change! I’ll need the Lord’s help, of course, but if he can light the way for the Jaredites, he can light the way for me. If he can show Nephi how to make a boat, he can show me how I can overcome!” Overcoming those stumbling blocks by humbling ourselves to Lord and adhering to his commands are the beginning of the construction of the ship. It’s like asking for the Blueprint and asking the Lord to direct our path.
A New Year’s Resolution is a simple thing—but “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6)—in this case, a Christ-like life.
---
Ether 12:27 in its entirety reads: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
I’m going to amend that a little bit and say our first gift of the New Year is should be to the Lord. And what shall we give? It’s more about what will we give up! A piece of our ungodliness—that’s what we shall give, so that our lives can reflect His more fully.
This isn’t a radical concept; rather, there is a term for this first gift of the New Year with which we are all familiar—New Year’s Resolution. A New Year’s Resolution is merely changing our poor qualities into good ones.
A resolution maker must ask this question: What do I want to change? A person making a resolution as a gift to the Lord takes a twist on this: What does the Lord want me to change?
To me, this is a pure-hearted desire: I want to be what Christ wants me to be.
Life is a journey; every incremental improvement gets us closer to our Eternal Goal—the Celestial Realm. It should be noted that we chose this journey of mortality for a purpose—to become as God is. It’s our everyday challenge to shed the shackles of human impulse, subdue the appetites and quiet the natural man in order to become more like our Father.
In the last week, I have been reading “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and, today, I went to see the movie based on those books—specifically, this movie is based on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.”
The story is well-known. Four children enter Narnia to become crowned king—much like we entered the world to be glorified by the Father through the merits of the Son’s Everlasting Atonement. But one of the four, Edmond, leaves the path he should be traveling and goes off chasing his appetites (Turkish delights), and nearly loses his place as a King of Narnia. Fortunately, for Edmond and all of us who have strayed from the gospel path to foolishly chase after appetites; there was a way back. Although the Path back had to be blazed through a Selfless Sacrifice of Love. Having known what Aslan did for him, Edmond dedicated his life to Aslan’s cause. Likewise, we must dedicate our lives to Christ’s cause—by doing those things that help us reflect his image.
Christ told his disciples on two continents to be examples:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
“Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
“Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (3 Nephi 12:14-16).
Letting that light shine means doing his will. It means letting our example illuminate the way for others, so that they too may follow. But when we allow the Light of Christ to shine through us, it doesn’t just light others’ paths; it also lights our own.
As the Psalmist wrote: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105).
What will light our path is following the course Christ has created:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Jesus has carved the route of our journey, but we must have the courage to follow it.
The Book of Mormon tells of two major journeys—that of the Nephites and that of the Jaredites. Both of them are instructive.
To Lehi and his family, the Lord had offered the Land of Promise—much like how he offers us the Celestial Kingdom. But parts of Lehi’s family—Laman and Lemuel—were reluctant to make the journey. After journeying through the Arabic desert for nearly a decade, Lehi’s family reached a beautiful place, a land they called Bountiful “because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish” (1 Nephi 17:5).
It was comfortable! It was great for Laman and Lemuel—who were always acting out of fear rather than faith—to finally be in a place where they had comfort. For Laman and Lemuel, this was far enough. They hadn’t met their ultimate goal, but they were in a place where they could be comfortable.
Many of us, including myself, are like Laman and Lemuel—we settle for mediocrity because we do not wish to be uncomfortable. We do not wish to think of our weaknesses—we wish simply to live as easily as we can.
Nephi, however, wanted his destiny—he wanted what the Lord had offered him: A spot in the Promised Land. After conversing with the Lord, Nephi begins to construct a ship; he begins to make the changes necessary to get into the Promised Land.
Laman and Lemuel resist these changes for the sake of their own comfort: “And thus my brethren ... were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord” (1 Nephi 17:18).
Laman and Lemuel were unwilling to sacrifice their comforts so that they could have a better land. Eventually, they got there kicking and screaming, but Laman and Lemuel are prototypes of those settle when they could have had more; of those who do not become like God because they believe the change is to difficult; and, most of all, of those do not become like God because they do not consider what God’s will for them is.
Nephi, however, was smart enough to recognize that he had not fulfilled God’s will. God wanted him in the Promised Land. This was a problem, for Nephi had a weakness: He was on the wrong side of the ocean. Rather than be content that he couldn’t change his situation, Nephi went and humbled himself before the Lord and the Lord showed Nephi how to get across the waters.
Nephi succeeded because he first recognized the weakness in himself. He asked for help: “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” (1 Nephi 17:9). He said, “I need help here! I want to do what you want me to do, but I need some help.” Did the Lord respond? Yes, he did! Nephi succeeded.
You get the feeling that Nephi wasn’t a great man by chance? Rather, he was a great man because he was willing to be like clay on the potter’s wheel (Jeremiah 18:6). Nephi wasn’t great by chance; he was great by choice. And Laman and Lemuel weren’t mediocre by chance, but by choice! Nephi took the time to find out the Lord’s will concerning him; he had the courage to ask what he needed to change and he had the courage to find out the route he had to follow to overcome his obstacles. That, my friends, is how you build a Christ-like life.
We could all benefit from a little soul-searching. What are our weaknesses? Really, that is what New Year’s Resolutions are all about—a self-inventory and then saying, I want to change this about myself.
And with the Lord’s help, we can change! We can be better!
Too often, though, a test comes quickly when we begin to consider our weaknesses—we fall prey to that nasty little voice that says, “I’m not good enough; I can’t change.” That is a lie—one of the most prevalent lies spread by the Adversary to prevent men from coming unto Christ.
The Lord would have you realize otherwise. Your weaknesses are not shortcomings but obstacles on the Pathway to Perfection:
“I give unto men weakness that they may be humble,” the Lord has told us (Ether 12:27). Thus, the Lord gave each person a weakness—more accurately, many weaknesses—to overcome in order to be perfected in Christ.
And how do we overcome this? “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27--verse appears in its entirety at the end of this article).
What makes this verse so interesting is what is happening in the verses before it. Moroni, the last of the Nephites who is compiling the Jaredite record, begins to sulk because of his weakness-his inability to satisfactorily express his faith on the plates. Moroni bemoans how hard it is to inscribe the letters because of the awkwardness of his hands:
“And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
“Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words” (Ether 12:24-25).
The wonderful promise in verse 27 is then revealed to Moroni. And isn't interesting that in the next few pages, we see this Moroni-who had beheld his weakness in recording this record upon the gold plates-etches into the record the scripture missionaries go door-to-door to spread, Moroni 10:3-5:
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:3-5).
This is The Great Dare of Mormonism: Read the Book of Mormon, ponder it, pray about it—and God will tell you by His Spirit that it is true. I have taken this challenge. I have read. I have pondered. I have prayed. And the Spirit hath borne record that it is true—not just once, but many, many times. And a testimony burns within my heart at this time. And it’s not just been me who has searched, pondered, prayed and found—but millions and millions and millions of people have. And they too believe. This Great Dare was made by Moroni—a man of great faith—whose faith shines in these great verses. The man who was once worried that we would mock must be pleased that so many of us believe. His is but one example of the Lord making weak things become strong.
Isn’t that great? The Lord shows us through Moroni that we can change. But not just Moroni—so many of the great scriptural heroes first started as weak people—who then humbled themselves before the Lord, and, the Lord, made their weak things become strong unto them. Look at the great litany of scriptural heroes of whom this is true:
· Alma the Younger spent his early days persecuting the true believers. After an angel confronted him, he spent three days in torment because he believed he could not change. Then, he remembered his father teaching about one Jesus Christ. Alma prayed to Christ and received the forgiveness he sought. We remember Alma as one of the greatest prophets of the Book of Mormon.
· The Four Sons of Mosiah, Alma’s companions in persecuting the church, also reformed their lives at the angel’s appearance. They spent 14 years among the Lamanites, converting many of their enemies.
· Paul is a companion story to Alma’s. He too began persecuting the church, was rebuked by an angel and then became a powerful missionary.
· Peter thrice denied the Christ. But he was forgiven and placed as the head of the Church.
· Alma the Elder started out as a priest in the court of Wicked King Noah, but he received Abinadi’s call to repentance and became a mighty prophet.
· The Anti-Nephi-Lehies went from bloodthirsty soldiers to such devoted followers of Christ that they laid down their lives rather than break the covenant they had made with their Lord. Among the Anti-Nephi-Lehies were the great mothers of Helaman’s Army, who started out as sinners and are now hailed as the great example of motherhood.
The message here is clear: We can change!! We can! We really can! The Lord can help us! Make those resolutions with confidence--the confidence not in yourself, but in Christ!
The second great journey of the Book of Mormon is the Jaredites. They showed us dependency on the Lord. We have already talked about how Christ created the way and how his words light the way—the Brother of Jared reiterated this point for us, when he asked the Lord to be the light for the Jaredite journey:
“And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea” (Ether 3:4).
The Brother of Jared asked Christ to light his path. We may ask the same through our humble prayers, and He shall respond.
“And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness” (Ether 6:3).
Not only did Christ light the path, but he also provided the power, which moved the Jaredites:
“And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.
“And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
“And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
“And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind” (Ether 6:5-8).
I like this journey description because it sounds familiar? Buried in the depths of the sea? Man, have I felt like that! And who rescued me? Christ!! And where do Christ’s path, His wind and His words all lead us? Toward the Celestial Kingdom—to a safe return to our Heavenly Father.
Like Nephi, like the Brother of Jared, we can get there. We don’t have to settle for mediocrity like Laman and Lemuel did, we can stretch ourselves to greater lengths, and the Lord will help us achieve our destiny.
A New Year’s Resolution is part of shedding those habits that will hold back our progress. It’s a courageous attempt to say, “I can change, and I will change! I’ll need the Lord’s help, of course, but if he can light the way for the Jaredites, he can light the way for me. If he can show Nephi how to make a boat, he can show me how I can overcome!” Overcoming those stumbling blocks by humbling ourselves to Lord and adhering to his commands are the beginning of the construction of the ship. It’s like asking for the Blueprint and asking the Lord to direct our path.
A New Year’s Resolution is a simple thing—but “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6)—in this case, a Christ-like life.
---
Ether 12:27 in its entirety reads: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
RELIGION: Thank you, President Hinckley
I wish to use this space to quickly thank President Hinckley for his challenge to read the Book of Mormon these past few months. I’ll admit when I first received the challenge, I received it with reluctance. But I read it nonetheless with my family and I read it by myself, and my life has been blessed.
President Hinckley promised us: “Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
I’ve seen that promise come true. My testimony of Christ, the Book of Mormon and Christ’s prophet has been deepened. What a marvelous book. It’s such a great blessing in my life. Every time I read in it, my faith is deepened because the more I read it, the more obvious it becomes it was written not by man—but by God. But I also know this because the Spirit so frequently attends me when I read it, just as President Hinckley promised. And just as He promised, I have find my desire to follow Christ more resolute. And just as God’s prophet promised, my faith in Christ has been strengthened and I have more deeply recognized my total dependence upon my Savior. And does not that testify that the Book of Mormon is indeed Another Testament of Jesus Christ?! How wonderful it is to have this book in my life. Thank you, President Hinckley, for turning me toward the Book of Mormon!
President Hinckley promised us: “Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
I’ve seen that promise come true. My testimony of Christ, the Book of Mormon and Christ’s prophet has been deepened. What a marvelous book. It’s such a great blessing in my life. Every time I read in it, my faith is deepened because the more I read it, the more obvious it becomes it was written not by man—but by God. But I also know this because the Spirit so frequently attends me when I read it, just as President Hinckley promised. And just as He promised, I have find my desire to follow Christ more resolute. And just as God’s prophet promised, my faith in Christ has been strengthened and I have more deeply recognized my total dependence upon my Savior. And does not that testify that the Book of Mormon is indeed Another Testament of Jesus Christ?! How wonderful it is to have this book in my life. Thank you, President Hinckley, for turning me toward the Book of Mormon!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
RELIGION: A commentary on Oliver Cowdery's testimony: August 21, 2005
One of the best parts of the scriptures revealed in the latter-days is found at the end of Joseph Smith-History in the Pearl of Great Price. It is Oliver Cowdery's account of the restoration, beautifully written, but unversed and printed in a small type-setting at the end of the JSH.
But it is a worthwhile read, as Oliver's testimony confirms Joseph's testimony.
Let's take a paragraph-by-paragraph look at this writing.
PARAGRAPH 1: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’
I love how Oliver puts this. His days as the scribe for the Book of Mormons "were days never to be forgotten." This hints of the joy Joseph and Oliver both must have felt, as they read/heard the words of God for the first time in that Great Book of Mormon. And, really, I can understand that joy because it must have been similar to the joy I get now when I read the Book of Mormon, even though I've read it many times before.
And how did Oliver feel when he first heard God's words in the Book of Mormon? Oliver writes that it "awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom." Oliver's description is perfect. He didn't feel just gratitude. He felt the "utmost" gratitude--he couldn't have been more grateful. And where did that gratitude originate? His bosom. In other words, in his heart. As he heard and transcribed the Book of Mormon, his heart recognized truth and was grateful that God's truths had made their way to Oliver.
PARAGRAPH 2: "No men, in their sober senses, could translate and write the directions given to the Nephites from the mouth of the Savior, of the precise manner in which men should build up His Church, and especially when corruption had spread an uncertainty over all forms and systems practiced among men, without desiring a privilege of showing the willingness of the heart by being buried in the liquid grave, to answer a ‘good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.’"
Oliver is bearing his testimony of the Book of Mormon hear. If you read Christ's words in the Book of Mormon, how can you doubt, is essentially what Oliver is saying. Oliver sees Christ's beautiful directions to the righteous Nephites, who withstood the filth of their society to build a mighty kingdom of God. Oliver tells us that the people were so wicked in Nephite times that they refused to be baptized (or enter a "liquid grave" as Oliver calls it) and ignored the need to have a clear conscience when resurrected. Oliver admired, as do I, the Nephites' steadfastness living in such circumstances. To Oliver who lived in a day when men, even the wicked ones, all chose to get baptized, the fact that some would refuse baptism must have been a very foreign idea--and Oliver rightly noted the evil in refusing baptism for remission of sins.
PARAGRAPH 3: “After writing the account given of the Savior’s ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent, it was easy to be seen, as the prophet said it would be, that darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. On reflecting further it was as easy to be seen that amid the great strife and noise concerning religion, none had authority from God to administer the ordinances of the Gospel. For the question might be asked, have men authority to administer in the name of Christ, who deny revelations, when His testimony is no less than the spirit of prophecy, and His religion based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations, in all ages of the world when He has had a people on earth? If these facts were buried, and carefully concealed by men whose craft would have been in danger if once permitted to shine in the faces of men, they were no longer to us; and we only waited for the commandment to be given ‘Arise and be baptized.’"
Here, Oliver tells us that as he and Joseph read about the Savior giving authority to his disciples on the American continent, they realized that no one had authority on the Earth at that time. Oliver explains it beautifully: The priesthood is an authority built on revelation, and if the churches of the day were denying revelation, then how could they have the priesthood? If you deny there's revelation, then how could you bless the sick or give a blessing to the downtrodden in heart? Moreover, if God has given revelations to his people in all ages, then why would he stop now? I love the way Oliver says it: "His [God's]religion [is] based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations." Oliver points us that these true facts about the priesthood were buried by those priests who sought to profit from false doctrines.
PARAGRAPH 4: "This was not long desired before it was realized. The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon Him in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us His will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the keys of the Gospel of repentance. What joy! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and distracted—while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears heard, as in the ‘blaze of day’; yes, more—above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature! Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant,’ dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"
Oliver tells us that the Lord responded to their prayers for priesthood authority quickly. In this paragraph, Oliver tells us about how the Lord answers prayers: "The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble." The nature of the Lord, Oliver says, is to be rich in mercy, and as such, he is always there to answer the prayers of the humble. Oliver tells us that the answer to their prayers started with the voice of Christ speaking to him and Joseph; the veil parted, and an angel (John the Baptist) came down to answer their prayer--or, as Oliver eloquently puts it: the angel "delivered the anxiously looked for message."
I love how Oliver responds to receiving his priesthood authority: "What joy! what wonder! what amazement!" Well, Oliver was excited! And can you blame him? The priesthood authority, absent from Earth, for over a thousand years, had now been restored to him and his friend, Joseph. Oliver didn't miss the significance. He tells us that while the rest of the world's inhabitants were like the blind groping for the wall, he and Joseph could see in a light as bright as the blaze of day. It's a stirring contrast, but a true one. The light that was to be beamed to mankind through the restoration of the priesthood has in millions of lives given people the direction they need to get through the darkness. In that sense, this is an appropriate and deeply profound metaphor.
Oliver tells us the thrill he had when John the Baptist addressed he and Joseph as his fellow servants: "We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"
Can you imagine what that moment must have been like for Oliver and Joseph?! Do be called a "fellow servant" by John the Baptist? Do hear the voice of the Redeemer? To receive the Holy Priesthood? To feel God's love? To hear a message from an angel?
No wonder Oliver says what he does in the next paragraph:
PARAGRAPH 5: “But, dear brother, think, further think for a moment, what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed, (for who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?) when we received under his hand the Holy Priesthood as he said, ‘Upon you my fellow-servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer this Priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon earth, that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness!’"
I love what Oliver says here: "Who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?" More than that, Oliver wants us to ponder what this moment was like for he and Joseph. He wants us to consider the joy they must have felt on this occasion.
PARAGRAPH 6: “I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease.”
After asking for us to ponder what it was like, Oliver tells us it was an indescribable moment. Oliver says it so well: "I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion." He tells that no man can match the eloquence of the words John the Baptist used on that occasion, nor can man comprehend the wisdom of his words. That must have been some visit!
Then Oliver tells us the sum effect of this visit:
"Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind."
I read so much hope into that one sentence. No matter how much evil is promulgated against me in quest to follow the Savior; it will all be worth it, if I am proven worthy of his grace and love at that last day. Oliver, who had endured much, tells us that one touch with the finger of his love--or one ray of glory from heaven, makes all the persecutions he suffered insignificant.
No wonder that Oliver concludes with these words:
"The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease."
What a beautiful testimony; it is one worth studying and understanding. How grateful I am to be the beneficiary of the work the Lord did through his great servants Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. How grateful I am for my testimony of the restored church, this gospel, the priesthood restored, which I am blessed to hold. Most of all, how grateful I am for Christ. May his atonement be applied to my sins, that I may be washed clean and found worthy to stand. I pray in His Holy name. Amen.
But it is a worthwhile read, as Oliver's testimony confirms Joseph's testimony.
Let's take a paragraph-by-paragraph look at this writing.
PARAGRAPH 1: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’
I love how Oliver puts this. His days as the scribe for the Book of Mormons "were days never to be forgotten." This hints of the joy Joseph and Oliver both must have felt, as they read/heard the words of God for the first time in that Great Book of Mormon. And, really, I can understand that joy because it must have been similar to the joy I get now when I read the Book of Mormon, even though I've read it many times before.
And how did Oliver feel when he first heard God's words in the Book of Mormon? Oliver writes that it "awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom." Oliver's description is perfect. He didn't feel just gratitude. He felt the "utmost" gratitude--he couldn't have been more grateful. And where did that gratitude originate? His bosom. In other words, in his heart. As he heard and transcribed the Book of Mormon, his heart recognized truth and was grateful that God's truths had made their way to Oliver.
PARAGRAPH 2: "No men, in their sober senses, could translate and write the directions given to the Nephites from the mouth of the Savior, of the precise manner in which men should build up His Church, and especially when corruption had spread an uncertainty over all forms and systems practiced among men, without desiring a privilege of showing the willingness of the heart by being buried in the liquid grave, to answer a ‘good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.’"
Oliver is bearing his testimony of the Book of Mormon hear. If you read Christ's words in the Book of Mormon, how can you doubt, is essentially what Oliver is saying. Oliver sees Christ's beautiful directions to the righteous Nephites, who withstood the filth of their society to build a mighty kingdom of God. Oliver tells us that the people were so wicked in Nephite times that they refused to be baptized (or enter a "liquid grave" as Oliver calls it) and ignored the need to have a clear conscience when resurrected. Oliver admired, as do I, the Nephites' steadfastness living in such circumstances. To Oliver who lived in a day when men, even the wicked ones, all chose to get baptized, the fact that some would refuse baptism must have been a very foreign idea--and Oliver rightly noted the evil in refusing baptism for remission of sins.
PARAGRAPH 3: “After writing the account given of the Savior’s ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent, it was easy to be seen, as the prophet said it would be, that darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. On reflecting further it was as easy to be seen that amid the great strife and noise concerning religion, none had authority from God to administer the ordinances of the Gospel. For the question might be asked, have men authority to administer in the name of Christ, who deny revelations, when His testimony is no less than the spirit of prophecy, and His religion based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations, in all ages of the world when He has had a people on earth? If these facts were buried, and carefully concealed by men whose craft would have been in danger if once permitted to shine in the faces of men, they were no longer to us; and we only waited for the commandment to be given ‘Arise and be baptized.’"
Here, Oliver tells us that as he and Joseph read about the Savior giving authority to his disciples on the American continent, they realized that no one had authority on the Earth at that time. Oliver explains it beautifully: The priesthood is an authority built on revelation, and if the churches of the day were denying revelation, then how could they have the priesthood? If you deny there's revelation, then how could you bless the sick or give a blessing to the downtrodden in heart? Moreover, if God has given revelations to his people in all ages, then why would he stop now? I love the way Oliver says it: "His [God's]religion [is] based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations." Oliver points us that these true facts about the priesthood were buried by those priests who sought to profit from false doctrines.
PARAGRAPH 4: "This was not long desired before it was realized. The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon Him in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us His will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the keys of the Gospel of repentance. What joy! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and distracted—while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears heard, as in the ‘blaze of day’; yes, more—above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature! Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant,’ dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"
Oliver tells us that the Lord responded to their prayers for priesthood authority quickly. In this paragraph, Oliver tells us about how the Lord answers prayers: "The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble." The nature of the Lord, Oliver says, is to be rich in mercy, and as such, he is always there to answer the prayers of the humble. Oliver tells us that the answer to their prayers started with the voice of Christ speaking to him and Joseph; the veil parted, and an angel (John the Baptist) came down to answer their prayer--or, as Oliver eloquently puts it: the angel "delivered the anxiously looked for message."
I love how Oliver responds to receiving his priesthood authority: "What joy! what wonder! what amazement!" Well, Oliver was excited! And can you blame him? The priesthood authority, absent from Earth, for over a thousand years, had now been restored to him and his friend, Joseph. Oliver didn't miss the significance. He tells us that while the rest of the world's inhabitants were like the blind groping for the wall, he and Joseph could see in a light as bright as the blaze of day. It's a stirring contrast, but a true one. The light that was to be beamed to mankind through the restoration of the priesthood has in millions of lives given people the direction they need to get through the darkness. In that sense, this is an appropriate and deeply profound metaphor.
Oliver tells us the thrill he had when John the Baptist addressed he and Joseph as his fellow servants: "We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!"
Can you imagine what that moment must have been like for Oliver and Joseph?! Do be called a "fellow servant" by John the Baptist? Do hear the voice of the Redeemer? To receive the Holy Priesthood? To feel God's love? To hear a message from an angel?
No wonder Oliver says what he does in the next paragraph:
PARAGRAPH 5: “But, dear brother, think, further think for a moment, what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed, (for who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?) when we received under his hand the Holy Priesthood as he said, ‘Upon you my fellow-servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer this Priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon earth, that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness!’"
I love what Oliver says here: "Who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?" More than that, Oliver wants us to ponder what this moment was like for he and Joseph. He wants us to consider the joy they must have felt on this occasion.
PARAGRAPH 6: “I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease.”
After asking for us to ponder what it was like, Oliver tells us it was an indescribable moment. Oliver says it so well: "I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion." He tells that no man can match the eloquence of the words John the Baptist used on that occasion, nor can man comprehend the wisdom of his words. That must have been some visit!
Then Oliver tells us the sum effect of this visit:
"Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind."
I read so much hope into that one sentence. No matter how much evil is promulgated against me in quest to follow the Savior; it will all be worth it, if I am proven worthy of his grace and love at that last day. Oliver, who had endured much, tells us that one touch with the finger of his love--or one ray of glory from heaven, makes all the persecutions he suffered insignificant.
No wonder that Oliver concludes with these words:
"The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease."
What a beautiful testimony; it is one worth studying and understanding. How grateful I am to be the beneficiary of the work the Lord did through his great servants Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. How grateful I am for my testimony of the restored church, this gospel, the priesthood restored, which I am blessed to hold. Most of all, how grateful I am for Christ. May his atonement be applied to my sins, that I may be washed clean and found worthy to stand. I pray in His Holy name. Amen.
RELIGION: Teaching to Gain vs. Teaching to Edify: August 21, 2005
The first chapter of Alma illustrates an important difference between teaching for gain and teaching to edify. And it also shows the net effect of both.
TEACHING FOR GAIN
Nehor is the cause of a great contention among the Nephites. His preaching causes a sharp division among the
people.
And it's not hard to see why it would when you examine what Nehor's purpose in preaching was:
Nehor went among the Nephites "bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people" (Alma 1:3).
Nehor's purpose, therefore, was threefold:
(1) To get people to leave the Church of God.
You can see why that would upset the people who belonged to the church.
(2) To become popular
A self-serving purpose--clearly, a very unChristian pursuit. Christ did not seek his own popularity; rather, he sought the salvation of all. His prime purpose was to lift all, and for that, he caused that he himself should be lifted upon the cross. If Christ sought not glory for himself, neither should those who preach in Christ's name.
That is why part of the qualifications for teaching the gospel is "an eye single to the glory of God" (D&C 4:4). A teacher's singular purpose should be to help all come closer to Christ.
(3) To get money
This shows again Nehor's quest for an exalted place in society. Rather than laboring with the rest of the Nephites, he esteemed himself to be to good for labor. A preacher shouldn't be involved in commoner's work, he must have thought. So by taking their money, he wouldn't have to work, and he'd still have the ease of life that he desired.
A real problem with Nehor's pursuit for money and popularity is this: In order to get such, he had to preach what the people wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear.
On this point, Nehor was quick to sell out his God for a buck and a pack of friends.
So instead of teaching repentance as he should have, Nehor taught that all mankind had been already been saved; therefore, there was no need for the people to shed their ungodliness. They could cleave to their sins and not worry about the judgment. Such teachings put those who accept them on a road to destruction.
Nehor was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. They people paid him. Money which he happily spent:
"And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching" (Alma 1:6).
Nehor's pride swelled to the point that when he faced an honest challenge to his false teachings, he chose to silence his accuser with the sword rather than discuss the merits of the argument.
The man Nehor slew was Gideon, a mighty man of God.
For this act of murder, Nehor was put to death. Before his execution, Nehor acknowedged "that what he had taught to the people was contrary to the word of God" (Alma 1:15).
Nehor's dubious legacy lived on. Nehor had introduced priestcraft--preaching to get gain--to the Nephites, and his followers, despite his actions and admission, glommed onto priestcraft and upheld it.
These "preachers" are described this way:
"There were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor" (Alma 1:16).
This practice causes the followers of Nehor to persecute the people of the Church of God (Alma 1:19) and eventually it cause contentions between the groups to even come to blows (Alma 1:21), despite the Church of God's stance that its members shouldn't behave in such a manner. Many people eventually left the church, abandoning the strait and narrow for the ease of not being persecuted (Alma 1:24).
So we can see the effects of teaching for gain, and we can see that they aren't the kind of effects one wants in a society.
TEACHING TO EDIFY
Now, comes the contrast.
Remember Nehor's three purposes for preaching? Let's see how they contrast with the Nephites' purpose.
NEHOR: Sought to destroy the church of God
CHURCH PREACHERS: "They did establish the affairs of the church" (Alma 1:28).
NEHOR: Sought popularity
CHURCH PREACHERS: Viewed themselves as equals with their listeners:
"The priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal" (Alma 1:26).
In other words, these preachers had an eye single to the glory of God. And they were humble--allowing themselves to be instruments in the hands of God. And for this, they took no glory to themselves, for they realized they had done nothing.
Isaiah explained why one who is used an instrument in God's hand shouldn't elevate himself in his mind:
"Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!" (2 Nephi 20:15).
So we see the contrast. The preachers of the Church of God were the ax in the Master's hand. The preachers of the order of Nehor provided no ax for the Master.
NEHOR: Sought money
PREACHERS: Didn't seek compensation.
"And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors" (Alma 1:26).
When the hearers went back to work, so did the priests.
Perhaps the most telling factor on this point is what the people, including the preachers of the Church of God, did when blessed with riches:
"And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly capparel, yet they were neat and comely.
"And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need" (Alma 1:27,29).
For this, the people of the church of God were blessed. And they, even though they did not seek riches, become more prosperous than those who did seek riches, because the people of the Church were blessed by God.
Plus, their needy had their needs met, and they were unified. The divisions caused by the people who followed Nehor were stymied.
For this were the preachers popular? Probably not, but they fulfilled the work their Master, who loved them most, gave them to do. Were they rich? Yes, they had been blessed for their service. But more importantly, they and their flock found the treasures of the word of God. And because of the sacrifices of these preachers, the church was stronger.
So you can see how sharply the effects of righteous preachers differ from the effects brought on the people by those who preach wickedness.
TEACHING FOR GAIN
Nehor is the cause of a great contention among the Nephites. His preaching causes a sharp division among the
people.
And it's not hard to see why it would when you examine what Nehor's purpose in preaching was:
Nehor went among the Nephites "bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people" (Alma 1:3).
Nehor's purpose, therefore, was threefold:
(1) To get people to leave the Church of God.
You can see why that would upset the people who belonged to the church.
(2) To become popular
A self-serving purpose--clearly, a very unChristian pursuit. Christ did not seek his own popularity; rather, he sought the salvation of all. His prime purpose was to lift all, and for that, he caused that he himself should be lifted upon the cross. If Christ sought not glory for himself, neither should those who preach in Christ's name.
That is why part of the qualifications for teaching the gospel is "an eye single to the glory of God" (D&C 4:4). A teacher's singular purpose should be to help all come closer to Christ.
(3) To get money
This shows again Nehor's quest for an exalted place in society. Rather than laboring with the rest of the Nephites, he esteemed himself to be to good for labor. A preacher shouldn't be involved in commoner's work, he must have thought. So by taking their money, he wouldn't have to work, and he'd still have the ease of life that he desired.
A real problem with Nehor's pursuit for money and popularity is this: In order to get such, he had to preach what the people wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear.
On this point, Nehor was quick to sell out his God for a buck and a pack of friends.
So instead of teaching repentance as he should have, Nehor taught that all mankind had been already been saved; therefore, there was no need for the people to shed their ungodliness. They could cleave to their sins and not worry about the judgment. Such teachings put those who accept them on a road to destruction.
Nehor was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. They people paid him. Money which he happily spent:
"And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching" (Alma 1:6).
Nehor's pride swelled to the point that when he faced an honest challenge to his false teachings, he chose to silence his accuser with the sword rather than discuss the merits of the argument.
The man Nehor slew was Gideon, a mighty man of God.
For this act of murder, Nehor was put to death. Before his execution, Nehor acknowedged "that what he had taught to the people was contrary to the word of God" (Alma 1:15).
Nehor's dubious legacy lived on. Nehor had introduced priestcraft--preaching to get gain--to the Nephites, and his followers, despite his actions and admission, glommed onto priestcraft and upheld it.
These "preachers" are described this way:
"There were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor" (Alma 1:16).
This practice causes the followers of Nehor to persecute the people of the Church of God (Alma 1:19) and eventually it cause contentions between the groups to even come to blows (Alma 1:21), despite the Church of God's stance that its members shouldn't behave in such a manner. Many people eventually left the church, abandoning the strait and narrow for the ease of not being persecuted (Alma 1:24).
So we can see the effects of teaching for gain, and we can see that they aren't the kind of effects one wants in a society.
TEACHING TO EDIFY
Now, comes the contrast.
Remember Nehor's three purposes for preaching? Let's see how they contrast with the Nephites' purpose.
NEHOR: Sought to destroy the church of God
CHURCH PREACHERS: "They did establish the affairs of the church" (Alma 1:28).
NEHOR: Sought popularity
CHURCH PREACHERS: Viewed themselves as equals with their listeners:
"The priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal" (Alma 1:26).
In other words, these preachers had an eye single to the glory of God. And they were humble--allowing themselves to be instruments in the hands of God. And for this, they took no glory to themselves, for they realized they had done nothing.
Isaiah explained why one who is used an instrument in God's hand shouldn't elevate himself in his mind:
"Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!" (2 Nephi 20:15).
So we see the contrast. The preachers of the Church of God were the ax in the Master's hand. The preachers of the order of Nehor provided no ax for the Master.
NEHOR: Sought money
PREACHERS: Didn't seek compensation.
"And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors" (Alma 1:26).
When the hearers went back to work, so did the priests.
Perhaps the most telling factor on this point is what the people, including the preachers of the Church of God, did when blessed with riches:
"And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly capparel, yet they were neat and comely.
"And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need" (Alma 1:27,29).
For this, the people of the church of God were blessed. And they, even though they did not seek riches, become more prosperous than those who did seek riches, because the people of the Church were blessed by God.
Plus, their needy had their needs met, and they were unified. The divisions caused by the people who followed Nehor were stymied.
For this were the preachers popular? Probably not, but they fulfilled the work their Master, who loved them most, gave them to do. Were they rich? Yes, they had been blessed for their service. But more importantly, they and their flock found the treasures of the word of God. And because of the sacrifices of these preachers, the church was stronger.
So you can see how sharply the effects of righteous preachers differ from the effects brought on the people by those who preach wickedness.
Monday, August 08, 2005
POLITICS: PETA Hypocrisy: August 8, 2005
We interrupt our regular programming to bring you the following ...
THE HYPOCRISY AT PETA
The following story is from This is True dated 17 July 2005. It is Copyright 2005 Randy Cassingham, all rights reserved, and reprinted here with permission:
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Adding to Mr. Cassingham's story, I would like to offer the following commentary:
For the few of you who have followed my writings from my days as a college newspaper editor, you know that I have little tolerance for PETA.
I have long thought this organization was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Or more accurately, a hamburger short of a Happy Meal. Their antics are degrading, self-centered propaganda designed to focus attention on ... on what ... Their cause? No. They want the attention to fall on themselves. They are happiest in the spotlight. They pretend to be martyrs for a cause because they want the spotlight to be on them and their lettuce bikinis or their throwing pies in the faces of rodeo princesses or whatever. They want the spotlight.
The animals are merely a ploy, a means to an end, to get the attention they want. PETA has done nothing to contribute to the politic dialogue. How could they? How can you talk to someone who'd rather throw bricks (figuratively speaking) than think?!
And now we learn this.
And it proves that animals really are just a means to an end. Once they've got their attention, the PETA people no longer need animals, so they can do with them what they please.
Now, I could be wrong, but this is the perception that PETA has always put forward with their silly antics. And I know there's hypocrites in every organization and blah blah blah. But these were PETA employees, disposing of pets PETA picked up to distribute to "loving homes." If these two were just rogue agents of PETA, then why didn't any other PETA employee confront the pair? Really, if this had happened at McDonald's that McDonald's had been taking pets from a local shelter, killing them and then dumping them in a dumpster, don't you think PETA would've been protesting? Heck, who wouldn't be protesting that? So why aren't protesting this?!
They've always been outlandish, and it just seems that their bizarreness is nothing more than shouting "Hey, Look at ME! Hey, Look at ME" into a microphone.
It's time that we all did ourselves a favor. It's time for all of us, especially those in the media, to ignore these attention-starved fools. That way, we'll be doing ourselves and the animals a real favor.
If you're an animal lover, you've been betrayed by PETA. It won't be the last time.
THE HYPOCRISY AT PETA
The following story is from This is True dated 17 July 2005. It is Copyright 2005 Randy Cassingham, all rights reserved, and reprinted here with permission:
"Ethical" Defined
After more than 100 dead dogs were dumped in a trash dumpster over
four weeks, police in Ahoskie, N.C., kept an eye on the trash receptacle behind a supermarket. Sure enough, a van drove up and officers watched the occupants throw in heavy plastic bags. They detained the two people in the van and found 18 dead dogs in plastic bags in the dumpster, including puppies; 13 more dead dogs were still in the van. Police say the van is registered to the headquarters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the two occupants, Andrew B. Cook, 24, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, identified themselves as PETA employees. An autopsy performed on one of the dogs found it was healthy before it was killed.
Police say PETA has been picking up the animals -- alive -- from North Carolina animal shelters, promising to find them good homes. Cook and Hinkle have been charged with 62 felony counts of animal cruelty. In response to the arrests PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said it's against the group's policy for employees to dump animals in the trash, but "that for some animals in North Carolina, there is no kinder option than euthanasia." (Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald) ...Oops, my mistake: that's "Playing God" Defined.
In his author's notes section, Cassingham had more to say about this story:
The more I learn about PETA, the less I think of them. The story of them killing animals isn't even unusual. According to PETA's own filings, in 2004 PETA killed 86.3 percent of the animals entrusted to its care -- a number that's rising, not falling.
Meanwhile, the SPCA in PETA's home town (Norfolk, Va.) was able to find loving homes for 73 percent of the animals put in its care. A shortage of funds? Nope: last year PETA took in $29 million in tax-exempt donations. It simply has other priorities for the funds, like funding terrorism (yes, really). But don't take my word for it: I got my figures from http://www.PETAkillsAnimals.com -- and they have copies of PETA's state and federal filings to back it up. The bottom line: if you donate money to PETA because you think they care for and about animals, you need to think some more. PETA literally
yells and screams about how others "kill animals" but this is how they operate? Pathetic.And you know what I wonder? PETA's official count of animals they kill is 86.3 percent. But if they're going around picking up animals, killing them while they drive around and not even giving them a chance to be adopted, and then destroying the evidence by dumping the bodies in the trash, are those deaths being reported? My guess: no. While 86.3 percent is awful, the actual number is probably much, much higher. How dare they lecture anyone about the "ethical" treatment of animals!
(This is True is a weekly column featuring
weird-but-true news stories from around the world, and has been published since 1994. Click the link for info about free subscriptions.)
---
Adding to Mr. Cassingham's story, I would like to offer the following commentary:
For the few of you who have followed my writings from my days as a college newspaper editor, you know that I have little tolerance for PETA.
I have long thought this organization was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Or more accurately, a hamburger short of a Happy Meal. Their antics are degrading, self-centered propaganda designed to focus attention on ... on what ... Their cause? No. They want the attention to fall on themselves. They are happiest in the spotlight. They pretend to be martyrs for a cause because they want the spotlight to be on them and their lettuce bikinis or their throwing pies in the faces of rodeo princesses or whatever. They want the spotlight.
The animals are merely a ploy, a means to an end, to get the attention they want. PETA has done nothing to contribute to the politic dialogue. How could they? How can you talk to someone who'd rather throw bricks (figuratively speaking) than think?!
And now we learn this.
And it proves that animals really are just a means to an end. Once they've got their attention, the PETA people no longer need animals, so they can do with them what they please.
Now, I could be wrong, but this is the perception that PETA has always put forward with their silly antics. And I know there's hypocrites in every organization and blah blah blah. But these were PETA employees, disposing of pets PETA picked up to distribute to "loving homes." If these two were just rogue agents of PETA, then why didn't any other PETA employee confront the pair? Really, if this had happened at McDonald's that McDonald's had been taking pets from a local shelter, killing them and then dumping them in a dumpster, don't you think PETA would've been protesting? Heck, who wouldn't be protesting that? So why aren't protesting this?!
They've always been outlandish, and it just seems that their bizarreness is nothing more than shouting "Hey, Look at ME! Hey, Look at ME" into a microphone.
It's time that we all did ourselves a favor. It's time for all of us, especially those in the media, to ignore these attention-starved fools. That way, we'll be doing ourselves and the animals a real favor.
If you're an animal lover, you've been betrayed by PETA. It won't be the last time.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The Third Place I'm Going When they Invent Time Travel
The third place I'm visiting when they invent time travel. If time travel ever gets invented the first place I'm going is to the 1984 Holiday Bowl to relive BYU winning the national championship. Go Cougars!! Then I'm off to Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 to see those brave Founding Fathers pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor when they sign the Declaration of Independence (maybe I'll ask if I can sign it too).
The third place I'm going is a Nephite city called Ammonihah. I don't know the exact date, but it's around 82 B.C., and it will be the day that Alma and Amulek boldly testify in front of the hostile crowd at Ammonihah.
Also, I'd prefer to be invisible that day (they should probably have invisibility figured out before time travel, don't you think?), as I don't wish to interfere at all with what these two legendary missionaries are doing. But the first place I want to see them is in Amulek's home, eating breakfast (or not eating breakfast, in case they're fasting, which they probably were). I would like to look into Amulek's eyes to see if there's any nervousness or whether he is calmly confident. I'd want to know if he has inkling that this will be the last time he'll be in his house. And probably also that last time he'd be with his family on this Earth. I wonder if he had any idea how much he would have to sacrifice for his testimony of Jesus Christ that day.
Amulek's involvement in the mission started many days before. An angel visited Amulek and instructed him to receive Alma into his house. Then, Alma, who had been fasting for many days, encountered Amulek and meekly said: "Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?" (Alma 8:19)
Amulek's response is beautiful in the way it shows his knowledge of Alma's divine calling: "I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house" (Alma 8:20).
Alma is so hungry that he takes up a policy of eat first, introductions later. Only after he is full does Alma tell
Amulek what his name is.
Alma knew why he had returned to Ammonihah: to preach the gospel.
But it wasn't initially clear at first that Amulek was to join him. Perhaps Amulek hoped to join Alma on his mission or perhaps he'd even asked Alma to pray to find out the Lord's will concerning him, like many of the early Saints asked Joseph Smith to do. Whatever the case, after Alma had spent "many days" (Alma 8:27) at Amulek's house, the call came from the Lord that Alma and Amulek were preach the gospel (Alma 8:28).
Given the way Alma was treated the first time he preached both Alma and Amulek had to know they were risking their lives to preach in front of the people of Ammonihah. Amulek, though, was risking even more. This was his city; these were his friends; this was his home. He was risking not just his life, but his comfortable life and reputation to preach with Alma.
So whether the call was expected, and whether it was desired may be unknown. But this we do know: Amulek was called, so he went. High risk? Yes. But Amulek wanted to serve God first, and then let the consequence follow.
Alma wasn't much different. After being cast out of Ammonihah, his response was to fast and pray that he could go back. And when he was instructed he could go back, he did walk back slowly, he sprinted toward the city he'd been thrown out of; he ran toward his persecutors because he was on the Lord's errand.
In this way, Alma and Amulek were, like the Lamanites converted by the sons of Mosiah, saying, "If the Lord saith unto us go, we will go."
It's that kind of conviction and dedication that would be worth traveling 2,100 years through time to see--to see such men of Christ, willing to say, "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord."
The third place I'm going is a Nephite city called Ammonihah. I don't know the exact date, but it's around 82 B.C., and it will be the day that Alma and Amulek boldly testify in front of the hostile crowd at Ammonihah.
Also, I'd prefer to be invisible that day (they should probably have invisibility figured out before time travel, don't you think?), as I don't wish to interfere at all with what these two legendary missionaries are doing. But the first place I want to see them is in Amulek's home, eating breakfast (or not eating breakfast, in case they're fasting, which they probably were). I would like to look into Amulek's eyes to see if there's any nervousness or whether he is calmly confident. I'd want to know if he has inkling that this will be the last time he'll be in his house. And probably also that last time he'd be with his family on this Earth. I wonder if he had any idea how much he would have to sacrifice for his testimony of Jesus Christ that day.
Amulek's involvement in the mission started many days before. An angel visited Amulek and instructed him to receive Alma into his house. Then, Alma, who had been fasting for many days, encountered Amulek and meekly said: "Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?" (Alma 8:19)
Amulek's response is beautiful in the way it shows his knowledge of Alma's divine calling: "I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house" (Alma 8:20).
Alma is so hungry that he takes up a policy of eat first, introductions later. Only after he is full does Alma tell
Amulek what his name is.
Alma knew why he had returned to Ammonihah: to preach the gospel.
But it wasn't initially clear at first that Amulek was to join him. Perhaps Amulek hoped to join Alma on his mission or perhaps he'd even asked Alma to pray to find out the Lord's will concerning him, like many of the early Saints asked Joseph Smith to do. Whatever the case, after Alma had spent "many days" (Alma 8:27) at Amulek's house, the call came from the Lord that Alma and Amulek were preach the gospel (Alma 8:28).
Given the way Alma was treated the first time he preached both Alma and Amulek had to know they were risking their lives to preach in front of the people of Ammonihah. Amulek, though, was risking even more. This was his city; these were his friends; this was his home. He was risking not just his life, but his comfortable life and reputation to preach with Alma.
So whether the call was expected, and whether it was desired may be unknown. But this we do know: Amulek was called, so he went. High risk? Yes. But Amulek wanted to serve God first, and then let the consequence follow.
Alma wasn't much different. After being cast out of Ammonihah, his response was to fast and pray that he could go back. And when he was instructed he could go back, he did walk back slowly, he sprinted toward the city he'd been thrown out of; he ran toward his persecutors because he was on the Lord's errand.
In this way, Alma and Amulek were, like the Lamanites converted by the sons of Mosiah, saying, "If the Lord saith unto us go, we will go."
It's that kind of conviction and dedication that would be worth traveling 2,100 years through time to see--to see such men of Christ, willing to say, "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord."
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