Gospel Cougar

Poem from Child's Obituary

2010-06-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

While do some genealogy research, I found an obituary of a distant relative who died as a child. The obituary contained the following poem. It has no title, and the obituary lists only the author's initials, J. H. S. It was published in the Butler Citizen (Pennsylvania) on 9 August 1889. I did a Google search and found it nowhere else, so I'm posting it here:

Parents grieve not that your treasure,
Is thus taken from you soon;
For you know that God has told you,
That in heaven there is still room.

Room for you and all your children
And for all who trust His love;
So that if on earth we're parted,
We shall meet in heaven above.

Yes, we know our child is better
In the arms of Him we love,
And we hope that we shall meet her
In that blissful home above.

J. H. S.

The Love of God

2009-12-27T16:28:00.001-08:00

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a powerful talk on the love of God in the last General Conference. Two paragraphs seemed profoundly poetic to me, so I reformatted them to emphasize the parallelisms and visual themes I saw:

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Sunken Mayan City Found

2009-11-01T05:15:00.000-08:00

After the death of Jesus Christ, great destruction occurred in the new world. Many people and cities were destroyed because of their wickedness. Many were buried under the earth. Others were burned. Some, "like the great city Moroni [were] caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea" (3 Nephi 9:4).

Later, the righteous who remained began to rebuild their cities. However, "there were many cities which had been sunk, and waters came up in the stead thereof; therefore these cities could not be renewed" (4 Nephi 1:9).

In the past year, archeologists started studying sunken Mayan ruins first found in 1996 at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. They have discovered ceremonial monuments and altars indicating it may have been of religious significance. Unfortunately for the original inhabitants, researchers believe the area, which now lies 50 feet underwater, suffered "a catastrophic event, like a volcanic eruption or landslide." Evidence indicates that residents had to leave in a hurry.

The researchers believe the ruins date to 250 A.D., so it is unlikely this area was one of those destroyed after the death of Jesus Christ. However, it shows that such cataclysmic events were possible and have occurred in the area and is interesting in the context of the destruction that occurred two centuries earlier.

Archaeology and Ether's Hiding Place

2009-09-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

In Ether 13, we learn that Ether "hid himself in the cavity of a rock" while witnessing the destruction of the Jaredite people (verses 13, 14, 18, and 22). Interestingly, recent archaeological research has found evidence of this practice among ancient Indians.

"Excavations ... help prove that the natural rock overhangs that dot Ohio's landscape provided shelter for hunters dating back more than 12,000 years." Nigel Brush, a geology professor at Ashland University in Ohio, has lead excavations at 30 rock shelters over the past 27 years. During that time, he discovered that these shelters "were used over and over again the same way for thousands of years."

In fact, some were used as base camps, possibly for months at a time. This fits the experience of Ether who spent a year or more hiding from the people in "the cavity of a rock," perhaps a shelter like those studied by Brush (Ether 13:18).

While this offers no proof of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, it adds circumstantial evidence that the Book of Mormon history is consistent with archaeological findings.

For more info, see "Gimme shelter: Archaeological digs show ancient Indians took refuge beneath rock overhangs," THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, September 20, 2009.

Marijuana and Alcohol: The Wrong Message

2009-03-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Two recent studies compared the effects of alcohol and marijuana on individuals and society and found marijuana was more dangerous. Sadly, rather than calling for greater restrictions on alcohol, some are using this as evidence for making marijuana more easily available.

One study published in Clinical EEG and Neuroscience Journal found that alcohol had a stronger effect on teen brain development than marijuana. Another study published in The Lancet showed the results of a poll of psychologists and scientifically or medically trained police who were asked to rank substances according to the level of harm they are believed to cause. Of twenty substances, they listed alcohol as the fifth most harmful and marijuana as the eleventh.

The article in Physorg.com reporting the results of these findings came to the conclusion that those who support "fewer restrictions on marijuana will undoubtedly point to scientific studies that show we already legalize less dangerous substances." I believe this is a sign of the last days fitting the prophecy in Isaiah 5:20 that reads, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness...." Marijuana ("darkness") should not be more acceptable ("light") because it is less harmful than alcohol. Rather, this should be a call for greater regulation of alcohol.

For more information on alcohol, see Alcohol, the National Hypocrisy.

Government Bailouts and Self-Reliance

2009-03-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

In this period of economic uncertainty and job loss, the principle of self-reliance is more important than ever. Satan is working hard to bring people into bondage, and one way is through financial reliance on the government.

In a talk given in 1982 entitled "The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance," President Marion G. Romney counsels that "we should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence." He explains that the Lord emphasizes this principle because "it is tied very closely to freedom itself." He further explains, "Man cannot be an agent unto himself if he is not self-reliant. Herein we see that independence and self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth." Prophetically, this talk was reprinted in the March 2009 edition of the Ensign along with other articles that discuss this principle including "Becoming Self-Reliant Spiritually and Physically" and "Family Home Storage: A New Message."

President Romney warned of the risks that government dependence brings: "We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence."

While speaking to the Saints in 1982, President Romney's counsel seems to have been given for the circumstances we find ourselves in today with government bailouts and promises of debt relief by politicians: "Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens."

Jesus Christ promises "liberty and eternal life" whereas Satan seeks "captivity and death ... that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27). One key way to avoid captivity in these trying times is to avoid reliance on the government, the Church, and others. President Romney said, "A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country."

Today in Stake Conference, our Area Seventy, Elder Gary Crittenden, spoke on this principle. He said that we should not look to government to solve our personal problems. "It's not reliance on this government" or the things of the world or what we accumulate that will bring eternal life. Rather, it's reliance on God, following the prophets, and keeping our covenants.

Be wary of government aid and easy fixes to the financial problems that we find ourselves in. They always carry hidden strings that run the risk of binding us.

True Conservative Leadership

2008-11-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

I encourage all who agree that we need true conservative leadership to sign a petition to this effect. You can find it here. (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/we-demand-true-conservative-leadership.html)

The text of the petition follows here:

Description/History

WE DECLARE that Republican leadership the past eight years has failed.

WE DECLARE that Republican politicians have compromised Conservative values in favor of "reaching across the aisle" in the name of "bipartisanship" to "get things done in Washington." In doing so, these very politicians have damaged this nation, weakened the Constitution, and done harm to individual freedoms.

WE ASSERT that the Republican National Committee has failed to advance and articulate Conservatism. We claim that by so doing, the RNC has done harm to the Conservative movement and thus to the party itself.

Petition

THEREFORE:

WE AS REAGAN CONSERVATIVES DEMAND that the Republican National Committee and the Republicans in both the House and the Senate begin acting as true Conservatives according to the principles listed below.

WE DEMAND that the elected officials stop compromising Conservatism. For by doing so they have failed to fulfill their oath of office to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." We assert that getting less done in Washington is better than compromising our freedom and economic prosperity.

WE CALL FOR Republican politicians to effectively articulate and constantly teach Conservatism.

WE DEMAND that the House Republicans select a new minority leader who will lead the minority party in holding to Conservative values and who can find innovative Conservative solutions and effectively articulate them on the floor of the House and to the media.

WE CALL FOR an RNC chairman who is (1) a true Reagan Conservative (2) who can effectively and forthrightly articulate Conservative solutions.

-----REAGAN CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES-----

--American Exceptionalism--
The United States is an exceptional nation. No other country in the history of the world has done more to secure liberty and honor God-given rights of individuals. Our government is uniquely of, by, and for the people, not the other way around.

--Secure Borders--
Legal immigrants have enriched this country. Illegal immigration undermines American sovereignty and weakens national security. The U.S. has a right and obligation to secure it's borders.

--Strong Military--
A strong military is a deterrent. The U.S. must maintain military superiority to ensure our security. The American military is made up of dedicated and patriotic individuals who deserve this nation's full support.

--Energy Independence--
For national security and economic reasons it is time that we as a nation become energy independent by exploiting all our natural resources responsibly while at the same time encouraging energy innovation.

--Individual Rights--
The subjugation of individual rights in favor of groups rights is unconstitutional and has always lead to the trampling of individual freedom.

--Individual Responsibility--
Individuals are responsible for their actions and the consequences. It is not government's place to save individuals from their mistakes. This kind of government intervention only encourages irresponsible behavior and impinges on others' rights.

--Limited Government--
Thoreau was correct when he wrote: "That government is best which governs least." Government should be limited to the powers delegated it by the Constitution. Beyond these powers, as government grows, individual freedom shrinks and the economy suffers.

--Low Taxes and Fiscal Constraint--
Government redistribution of income through taxation is not Constitutional. Individuals have a right to their income and are far better managers of their money than is the government. Free market solutions improve the economy while upholding individual freedoms.

--Supreme Court--
The purpose of the Supreme Court is to determine whether laws are in keeping with the Constitutionally limited powers delegated the government. The Supreme Court is not to rule based on any other standard than that of a strict interpretation of the United States Constitution.

--Religious Freedom--
Americans should be free to practice religion how they please. Christianity has been a positive force in our society. Government should not overreach its powers to discriminate against any religious group. Government has no right to suppress prayers nor expressions of faith in public schools.

--Respect for Life--
Life is sacred and is to be defended. This includes the most vulnerable among us, the unborn. Ronald Reagan was correct when he wrote: "Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing the value of all human life."

--Right to Bear Arms--
The right to own a gun is recognized specifically in the Constitution, yet it is constantly under attack legislatively and legally. The right to own firearms is important to the safety and security of individuals and a nation.

Obama’s Fight Against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act

2008-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

My sister originally published this post on her own blog (Proud Reagan Conservative) after conducting extensive research. With the election just two days away, I'm reposting it here.

David

__________________________

TIMELINE

1999
Nurse Jill Stanek was a registered nurse in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, when she discovered that babies were being aborted alive and shelved to die in the soiled utility room.

2000
Illinois State Attorney General and the Illinois Department of Public Health found no law was being broken by Christ Hospital.

2001
Illinois State Senate Bill 1095, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
(This bill did not become law)
Obama voted NO in committee.
Obama voted PRESENT on the IL Senate floor.

2002
Illinois State Senate Bill 1662, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
(This bill did not become law)
Obama voted NO in committee.
Obama voted NO on the IL Senate floor.

2003
Illinois State Senate Bill 1082, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
(This bill did not become law)
Obama voted in committee to add additional language specifically protecting abortion. It was successfully added to the bill.
Obama then voted NO in committee to the updated bill.

Barack Obama has put forth several lies about his repeated votes against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA).

OBAMA’S LIE #1

OBAMA’S CLAIM: There was no need for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) because there were already laws on the books to protect these infants.

FACT: The Illinois State Attorney General and the Illinois Department of Public Health investigated and found that Christ Hospital violated no current law when they left born-alive aborted babies to die in closets. It was for this reason that law makers wrote the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

EVIDENCE: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200104/ai_n8933816
At the request of Jill Stanek and Karen Hayes (the Illinois state director for Concerned Women of America) the office of Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan conducted an investigation of the practices at Christ Hospital. In a July 17, 2000 letter to Hayes, Chief Deputy Attorney General Carole Doris wrote, "We have concluded that there is no basis for legal action by this office against the hospital or its employees, agents or staff at this time."

http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1437&department=CWA&categoryid=life
The office of Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan sent a letter to Mrs. Hayes in July 2000, responding to her request for investigation of Christ Hospital. Since the issue addressed medical practice, the attorney general referred it to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The IDPH sent investigators to the hospital in late September 1999, soon after Mrs. Hayes’ original correspondence (attorney general letter, 7/17/00).

On December 6, IDPH gave its report to the attorney general office. IDPH indicated that it found no “violation of the Hospital Licensing Act or the Vital Records Act.” Further, “no other allegations or medical evidence to support any statutory violation (including the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act about which [Mrs. Hayes] inquired) were referred to our office by the Department for prosecution” (attorney general letter, 7/17/00).

FACT: Obama (1) heard Nurse Jill Stanek’s testimony that babies were being left to die at Christ Hospital; (2) He was presented the investigation results showing other abortion providers in the state were leaving born-alive aborted babies to die; and (3) Obama was given the Attorney General’s findings showing these hospitals were doing nothing wrong legally under current law.

FACT: Obama refused to concede this was happening, despite the testimony presented to him of infants being left to die after failed abortions. Instead, he said this on the floor of the Senate (pages 32-34 of the April 4, 2002 session transcript): http://www.ilga.gov/senate/transcripts/strans92/ST040402.pdf

[T]he only plausible rationale, to my mind, for this legislation would be if you had a suspicion that a doctor, the attending physician, who has made the assessment that this is a nonviable fetus and that, let’s say for the purposes of the mother’s health, is being — that — that labor is being induced, that that physician (a) is going to make the wrong assessment and (b) if the physician discovered, after the labor had been induced, that, in fact, he made an error, and in fact this was not a nonviable fetus but, in fact, a live child, that the physician, of his own accord or her own accord, would not try to exercise the sort of medical procedures and practices that would be involved in saving that child.

Now, if — if you think that there are possibilities that doctors would not do that, then maybe this bill makes sense, but I — I suspect and my impression is, is that the Medical Society suspects that doctors feel that they would already be under that obligation, that they would already be making these determinations, and that essentially adding a — an additional doctor who the has to be called in an emergency situation to come in and make these assessments is really designed simply to burden the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion.

Now, if that’s the case –and — and I know some of us feel very strongly one way or the other on that issue — that’s fine, but I think it’s important to understand that this issue ultimately is about abortion and not live births. Because if these children are being born alive, I, at least, have confidence that a doctor who is in that room is going to make sure they’re looked after.

During the third presidential debate, Barack Obama again told the lie that there was no need for this law so he voted against it. He’s blatantly lying.

OBAMA’S LIE #2

OBAMA’S CLAIM: Obama has claimed many times that he voted against this bill because it did not contain the kind of protections to abortion that an earlier national bill contained.

FACT: There was specific language in the bill which limited the scope of the bill to born-alive infants. In fact, for the 2003 bill, Obama in committee voted to include additional language which specifically protected abortion, but once the new language was in there, he then voted against the entire bill anyway. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=28189

This is the specific language that Obama voted to include in the 2003 bill, but
which apparently still wasn’t enough for him:

"Nothing in this section shall be construed to affirm, deny, expand, or contract any legal status or legal right applicable to any member of the species homo sapiens at any point prior to being born alive as defined in this section."

THE CHILLING TRUTH

Barack Obama is so intent on protecting abortion, he doesn’t want infants born alive during botched abortions to be protected under the law.

On March 30, 2001, Obama spoke against the Born Alive Infant legislation:
http://www.ilga.gov/senate/transcripts/strans92/ST033001.pdf (page 86)

“Number one, whenever we define a previable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we’re really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a – a child, a nine-month-old – child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place. I mean, it – it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an antiabortion statute.”

Here is April 2002 audio of Obama defending his position against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/mp3/2007-04/29383467.MP3

Text:

“I suspect that doctors feel that they would be under that obligation, that they would already be making these determinations, and that essentially adding an additional doctor, who then has to be called in an emergency situation to come
in and make these assessments, is really designed simply to burden the original
decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an
abortion.”

Obama didn’t want the original decision by the mother to abort her baby second-guessed to the point where if the baby were born alive, he wanted the original decision to have the baby terminated honored.

This man, Barack Obama, is so extreme in his pro-abortion activism, that even when an aborted baby is born living outside the mother, he does not want this new life to get equal protection under the law, but he does want the original decision to terminate the life respected and carried out.

I pray we are not the kind of country that would elect this kind of man as our leader.

____________________________________

For the best overview on this issue, see:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=28189
http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/02/links_to_barack.html
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obama_and_infanticide.html

Must-See Video:
September 29 2000 O'Reilly Factor interview with Nurse Jill Stanek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9duXeLahkV4

A Prophetic Warning, Confirmed By Experts

2008-10-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

On many occasions, President Gordon B. Hinckley warned the Saints to live within their means. He did not foretell a specific calamity but counseled that people should not go into unnecessary debt. Looking back, it is interesting to note that he did not speak in a vacuum. His prophetic warning was surrounded by evidence of the possible consequences of ignoring the Lord's voice on earth.

In the October 1998 General Conference, President Hinckley said the following:

"I recognize that it may be necessary to borrow to get a home, of course. But let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years."

Later, he continued:

"We are carrying a message of self-reliance throughout the Church. Self-reliance cannot obtain when there is serious debt hanging over a household. One has neither independence nor freedom from bondage when he is obligated to others."

It's interesting to note that less than one year later, financial experts were warning of possible economic problems that could result from people purchasing homes beyond their means. An article in September 30, 1999 edition of The New York Times said the following:

"In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending [to subprime borrowers who could not qualify for conventional loans], Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's."

I'm grateful the Lord has sent a prophet to shine light on paths of safety in a dark and troubled world. If we will follow his counsel, we will find peace and freedom from fear.

Was Jesus Born on April 6?

2008-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Was Jesus Christ born on April 6th? What do LDS Church leaders say about this topic? Doctrine and Covenants 20:1 appears to indicate that the Savior was born on April 6th, 1,830 years to the day before the Church was organized, but is this verse to be read literally?

The following quotes from Church leaders, official Church publications, and other Church members in official magazines discuss this subject.

Quotes from Latter-day Church Leaders

President Gordon B. Hinckley:
“In a few days comes the promise that spring will come again and summer will return, as it has through all the millennia that men have been upon the earth. It is no wonder that in ancient times Christmas, commemorating the birth of the Christ child, was celebrated at this solstice season. Men had no knowledge of the time of His birth, and so they came to bond the celebration of Christmas with the celebration of the return of the sun. While we now know through revelation the time of the Savior’s birth [April 6], we observe the 25th of December with the rest of the Christian world.”
(“Christmas Devotional with First Presidency,” Ensign, Feb. 1998, 74–75)

President Harold B. Lee:
"This is the annual conference of the Church. April 6, 1973, is a particularly significant date because it commemorates not only the anniversary of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this dispensation, but also the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith wrote this, preceding a revelation given at that same date:

“The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April.” (D&C 20:1.) (Harold B. Lee, “Strengthen the Stakes of Zion,” Ensign, Jul 1973, 2; Address delivered Friday morning, April 6, 1973)

President Spencer W. Kimball:
"My brothers and sisters, today we not only celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the organization of the Church, but also the greatest event in human history since the birth of Christ on this day 1,980 years ago. Today is Easter Sunday."
(Spencer W. Kimball, “Remarks and Dedication of the Fayette, New York, Buildings,” Ensign, May 1980, 54)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
"On the false assumption that Christianity had its beginning with our Lord's mortal ministry, his birth was chosen to mark the beginning of the so-called Christian Era. Though there is considerable controversy and uncertainty among scholars of the world as to the actual year of Christ's birth, the revelation given on the day the Church was organized in this dispensation apparently intends to convey the thought that he was born April 6, B.C. 1. (D&C 20:1)."
(Mormon Doctrine, p.131)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
“Apparently Christ was born on the day corresponding to April 6 (D&C 20:1), but the saints nevertheless join in the wholesome portions of the Christmas celebration. Christmas becomes to them an ideal opportunity to renew their search for the true spirit of Christ and to center their attentions again on the true doctrine of his birth as the Son of an Immortal Father.”
(Mormon Doctrine, pp.132-33)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
"We do not believe it is possible with the present state of our knowledge—including that which is known both in and out of the Church—to state with finality when the natal day of the Lord Jesus actually occurred."
(Mortal Messiah, Vol. 1, p. 349, n. 2)

Elder N. Eldon Tanner:
"April is truly a historic month in which we commemorate two of the most important events in the history of mankind: the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the reestablishment of his church and kingdom here upon the earth in these, the latter days. Members of the Church also believe that Christ was born on April 6 in the year 1 b.c. (See D&C 20:1.)"
(N. Eldon Tanner, “Resurrection and Restoration,” Ensign, Apr 1971, 2)

Quotes from Other Church Publications

Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Seminary Manual:
"Doctrine and Covenants 20:1—Why the Sixth of April? The Lord gave 6 April 1830 as the day to formerly organize His Church. President Harold B. Lee spoke of the significance of this date: “April 6, 1973 is a particularly significant date because it commemorates not only the anniversary of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in this dispensation, but also the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1973, 4; or Ensign, July 1973, 2).
(Doctrine and Covenants and Church History: Seminary Student Study Guide, Page 32)

Quotes from Other Church members

Richard O. Cowan, Professor of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University:
"First let us review how we know the Savior was born in April. As directed by revelation, the Church was organized on April 6, 1830 (a Tuesday), which was “eighteen hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh.” (D&C 20:1.) Thus we schedule general conference sessions on April 6 each year; we are not only marking the anniversary of the Church’s organization, but we are commemorating the Lord’s birth as well."
(Richard O. Cowan, “Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, Dec. 1974, 10–11)

John P. Pratt, (see entire article; here's an excerpt):

"The Savior’s Birth Date

"Since the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830, many members have believed that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 b.c. This belief is based on a revelation stating that the Church was organized “one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April.” (D&C 20:1.)

"The wording used does not make it clear whether this verse was intended to mean that the day 6 April 1830 was precisely 1,830 years since the birth of Jesus, or whether it was simply a formal way of stating that the year was called 1830. Some Church leaders have argued for the literal interpretation that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 b.c. 37 They often note that the Lord pointed out “the precise day … to organize His Church.” (D&C 20, section heading.) Other Church leaders have not felt bound to accept Doctrine and Covenants 20:1 as accurate to the very day because “the Church has made no official declaration on the matter.” 38 (D&C 20:1)

"Recently, two Presidents of the Church affirmed their belief that this verse does imply that April 6 (on our calendar) is the anniversary of the Lord’s birth. On 6 April 1973, President Harold B. Lee noted that that day was “the anniversary of the birth of the Savior” and then quoted Doctrine and Covenants 20:1 as a reference. (Ensign, July 1973, p. 2.) Then on 6 April 1980, President Spencer W. Kimball stated that Jesus was born on “this day 1,980 years ago.” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 54.)

"While these statements may not have been intended as declarations of doctrine, they do add to the impression that the literal interpretation of Doctrine and Covenants 20:1 is generally accepted in the Church, favoring the acceptance of 6 April 1 b.c. as the Savior’s birthdate, consistent with Option C above.
(John P. Pratt, “The Restoration of Priesthood Keys on Easter 1836, Part 1: Dating the First Easter,” Ensign, Jun 1985, 59)

America is Great Because...

2008-04-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

I searched the Internet for the phrase "American is great because" and found the following...

Stephen Ambrose, an American historian, studied and wrote about the American military. In his book, The VICTORS: Eisenhower and His Boys: The Men of World War II, he tried to answer the question how simple citizen soldiers could have faced such great evil and conquered. He wrote this:

"At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn't want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful."

Then he talked about what the war meant to the men who fought it. One man, he said, summed it up in a way he could never forget. I personally believe this is why America is great. That man said:

"Imagine this. In the spring of 1945, around the world, the sight of a twelve-man squad of teenage boys, armed and in uniform, brought terror to people's hearts. Whether it was a Red Army squad in Berlin, Leipzig, or Warsaw, or a German squad in Holland, or a Japanese squad in Manila or Seoul or China, that squad meant rape, pillage, looting, wanton destruction, senseless killing. But there was an exception: a squad of GIs, a sight that brought the biggest smile you ever saw to people's lips, and joy to their hearts."

"Around the world this was true, even in Germany, even - after September 1945 - in Japan. This was because GIs meant candy, cigarettes, C-rations, and freedom. America had sent the best of her young men around the world, not to conquer but to liberate, not to terrorize but to help. This was a great moment in our history."

Yes, we're not a perfect nation, but our blemishes are the exceptions, not the rule. I love this great country.

Cougar Stadium From Above

2008-03-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

If you're a huge Cougar football fan like I am but live too far away to visit the stadium regularly, you can still see it through the web. While it's not live, you can still get up close and personal through the miracle of satellite imagery.

It's interesting to compare the images of Cougar Stadium available from the major mapping websites: Mapquest, Google Maps, and Yahoo Maps. Take a look:

Yahoo Maps

MapQuest

Google Maps (Note that Google Maps also has a Street View feature; see a screenshot below)

If you have any ideas what years these images were taken, please let me know. Note that in two of the three, the Cougar Club tent is up to the northeast of the stadium, but it's a different type of tent in the two.

Enjoy!

Michael, Heber, and Hyrum

2008-02-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

Faithful Servants to the End

Hyrum Smith never left Joseph. Heber C. Kimball always stood by Brigham Young. When many of Joseph's and Brigham's closest associates and leaders of the Church turned against them during some of the darkest hours in early Church history, Hyrum and Heber never wavered in their support of these two great prophets.

I believe they are type. Where Joseph had Hyrum and Brigham had Heber, I believe that Jesus had Michael. More importantly, I believe they are an example we can follow.

Few of us are called like Joseph and Brigham to lead. All of us, however, have the opportunity to support and sustain our leaders. Hyrum and Heber are shining examples of faithful support. Elder M. Russell Ballard described Hyrum Smith as “one of the firm pillars of the Restoration.” He spoke of this aspect of Hyrum's character:

After his older brother Alvin’s death in 1823, Hyrum bore significant responsibility in the Smith family. At the same time, he assisted and served his brother, Joseph the Prophet, throughout the long and arduous process of the Restoration. Ultimately, he joined Joseph and other martyrs of past gospel dispensations. His blood was shed as his final testimony to the world.

Through it all, Hyrum stood firm. He knew the course his life would take, and he consciously chose to follow it. To Joseph, Hyrum became companion, protector, provider, confidant, and eventually joined him as a martyr. Unjust persecution engulfed them throughout their lives. Although he was older, Hyrum recognized his brother’s divine mantle. While he gave Joseph strong counsel on occasion, Hyrum always deferred to his younger brother. (M. Russell Ballard, “Hyrum Smith: ‘Firm As the Pillars of Heaven’,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 6)

Heber was no less faithful in his support to Brigham. Following Heber's death, Elder George A. Smith said the following:

As we follow him to his last resting place, we must recollect that those men who stood side by side Joseph Smith the Prophet, who bore with him his burdens, and shared his troubles; who stood shoulder to shoulder with President Young while he faced the storm of apostacy, mob power and organized priestcraft, are rapidly passing away. Brother Kimball was foremost among them. (Journal of Discourses, Volume 12, The Death of President Heber C. Kimball)

Also speaking of Heber after the death, Elder George Q. Cannon said this:

It is now twenty-four years lacking three days, since Joseph and Hyrum were taken away from us. Twenty-four years so fruitful in labor, so abundant in toil, so rich in experience! During that period bro. Heber has never wavered, never trembled. It may be said of him with as much truthfulness to-day, as was said by bro. Brigham on one occasion in Nauvoo, "his knees never trembled, his hands never shook." He has been faithful to God; he has been true to his brethren; he has kept his covenants. (Journal of Discourses, Volume 12, The Death of President Heber C. Kimball)

While thinking of these great men and their faithful service to their leaders, it came to mind that Michael, or Adam, had also been an example of eternal support to the Great Leader, Jesus Christ. It was Michael who lead the forces of good against Lucifer in the war in Heaven:

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” (Revelation 12:7-8)

Michael may have also been the angel who came to support our Savior during his suffering in Gethsemane. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985, 9).

Elder Mark E. Peterson spoke further of Michael's role and position relative to Jesus Christ: “The Prophet Joseph Smith clearly identifies both Adam and Michael as one and the same person, an angel, the chief angel, or archangel, of heaven, the special servant of God and Christ” (Mark E. Petersen, “Adam, the Archangel,” Ensign, Nov 1980, 16).

May we follow the example of these great and just men—Michael, Heber, and Hyrum—in faithfully serving our sustained leaders to the end.

Photos of President Hinckley's Final Public Appearance

2008-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

What was probably President Gordon B. Hinckley's final public appearance took place on January 20, 2008 when he presided over the rededication of the Garden Park Ward in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photos of President Hinckley at this meeting have been racing around the Internet. Deseret Book posted them on their website: http://deseretbook.com/temple/hinckley.

In honor of our beloved prophet, I created a video with these photos and set it to the beautiful hymn, God Be With You Till We Meet Again.

Ronald Reagan on Religious Bigotry

2008-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ronald Reagan made it very clear during his presidency that religious intolerance and bigotry was unacceptable in America. Sadly, decades after America appeared to overcome religious intolerance by electing a Catholic president, it appears vestiges of this bigotry still exist. John Geer, a political scientist at Vanderbilt, designed a survey to assess religious bias against Mitt Romney. The poll found that “bias against Mitt Romney’s religion is one of the reasons that the tag 'flip-flopper' sticks with the former Massachusetts governor but not his Republican opponents.”

The following are quotes from Ronald Reagan on intolerance and bigotry. My hope, like his, is that we, as a nation, will overcome this evil and vote for the best candidate based on qualifications and values, not religious affiliation.

_________________________

“Now, there's another major wrong done to traditional American values that needs to be corrected. Our forefathers were religious people, and they were also enlightened enough to realize the follies of religious intolerance.”

Remarks at the Annual Convention of the American Legion in
Salt Lake City, Utah, September 4, 1984

“So, please use your pulpits to denounce racism, anti-Semitism, and all ethnic or religious intolerance as evils, and let us make it clear that our values must not restrict, but liberate the human spirit in thought and in deed.”

Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals
in Columbus, Ohio, March 6, 1984

“[W]e must teach tolerance and denounce racism, anti-Semitism, and all ethnic or religious bigotry, wherever they exist, as unacceptable evils.”

Remarks at the Young Leadership Conference of the United Jewish Appeal
March 13, 1984

“The ideals of our country leave no room whatsoever for intolerance, for anti-Semitism, or for bigotry of any kind -- none. ”

Remarks to Members of the Congregation of Temple Hillel and
Jewish Community Leaders in Valley Stream, New York
October 26, 1984

“We must never remain silent in the face of bigotry. We must condemn those who seek to divide us. In all quarters and at all times, we must teach tolerance and denounce racism, anti-Semitism, and all ethnic or religious bigotry wherever they exist as unacceptable evils. We have no place for haters in America -- none, whatsoever.”

Remarks to Members of the Congregation of Temple Hillel and
Jewish Community Leaders in Valley Stream, New York
October 26, 1984

“The Founders realized that we must guard freedom of religion with eternal vigilance against tyranny and bigotry.”

Proclamation 5866 -- Religious Freedom Week, 1988
September 27, 1988

“Today bigotry has been beaten down, but not yet totally destroyed. It falls now to you to carry on the battle. So, fight racism; fight anti-Semitism; fight in all its variations the bigotry and intolerance that we Americans have worked so hard to root out. I make much of all we've done to combat discrimination in our country because it seems to me of central importance to our essay on peace. Here in this green and gentle land people of all nations, people of all races and faiths, have learned to live in harmony to build one nation.”

Remarks at the High School Commencement Exercises in
Glassboro, New Jersey, June 19, 1986

“And let me add, in the party of Lincoln, there is no room for intolerance and not even a small corner for anti-Semitism or bigotry of any kind. Many people are welcome in our house, but not the bigots.”

Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the
Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas
August 23, 1984

“No one group in this country is better than another. No one race or religion or sex or color is better than another. And no region is better or worse than another. It's time we erased the last vestiges of intolerance, bigotry, and unkindness from our hearts. Decency demands this and so does our history.”

Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at the
"Choosing a Future" Conference in Chicago, Illinois
September 5, 1984

“I was raised to believe that there's no sin greater than prejudice or bigotry.”

Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at the
"Choosing a Future" Conference in Chicago, Illinois
September 5, 1984

“And let me say there is no place in the Republican Party for those who would exhibit prejudice against anyone. There's no place in our party for the kind of bigotry and ugly rhetoric that we've been hearing outside our party recently. We have no room for hate here, and we have no place for the haters.”

Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With
Elected Republican Women Officials, June 29, 1984

“[R]acial discrimination and religious bigotry have no place in a free society.”

Remarks at the Annual Convention of the
National Religious Broadcasters, February 9, 1982

“And let me add that we will continue to fight against discrimination wherever there are any vestiges of it remaining, until we've removed such bigotry from our entire land.”

Remarks at a Meeting With Asian and
Pacific-American Leaders, February 23, 1984

“I firmly believe that there is no room for partisanship on this question. Democrats and Republicans alike must be resolute in disassociating ourselves from any group or individual whose political philosophy consists only of racial or religious intolerance....”

Letter to the Chairman of the Commission on Civil Rights
Concerning the President's Views on the Ku Klux Klan
April 30, 1984

“We will continue to fight against discrimination, wherever there are any vestiges of it remaining, until we've removed such bigotry from our entire land.”

Written Responses to Questions Submitted by Pacific Magazine on
United States Policy in the Pacific Island Region
May 4, 1984

“I was raised in a household in which the only intolerance I was taught was intolerance of bigotry.”

The President's News Conference, June 30, 1982

Word Frequency in the Book of Mormon

2007-12-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

I was searching for articles that discussed the possible connections between the Amlicites and the Amalekites in the Book of Mormon when I ran across an interesting blog entry from Blognitive Dissonance: "all the words in the Book of Mormon." As stated in it's title, this entry contains a very long list of words from the Book of Mormon.

When I saw this, I immediately wondered how many times each word appears in the Book of Mormon, so I searched for freeware or open source software that can determine word frequency. I found one called the Simple Concordance Program (SCP). Of course, I also needed to find the Book of Mormon in one large file. Luckily, one exists at the Project Gutenberg website.

After installing SCP, I ran it on the Book of Mormon file. I found I needed to clean up the text a little. First, I deleted the introductory Gutenberg legal stuff. Later, I also decided to delete the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon including the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses. The one thing I couldn't easily clean up was removing the reference to each verse which Gutenberg's text edition includes. In other words, each verse is preceded by the book, chapter, and verse. As a result, the frequency of the book names will be greatly inflated. If someone knows how to clean that up easily, I can run the SCP analysis again. I also had to search for "--" and replace it with " -- " because words preceding the hyphens would be counted separately from the same word that didn't precede hyphens.

Anyway, below you will find the list of Book of Mormon words with their frequencies. Note that word variations are listed separately. That means "atone," "atonement," and "atoneth" are counted separately.

I hope this will be an aid to those who want to include word counts in lessons or talks or just want to review these numbers for their own personal study.

2140 a
50 aaron
1 abandon
2 abandoned
1 abasing
1 abel
1 abhor
2 abhorrence
1 abhorrest
2 abhorreth
8 abide
37 abinadi
2 abinadom
1 abish
17 able
1 ablom
1 aboard
1 abolish
1 abolished
28 abominable
11 abomination
76 abominations
4 abound
2 abounding
262 about
66 above
29 abraham
1 abridged
1 abridging
3 abridgment
14 abroad
1 absence
13 abundance
1 abundant
8 abundantly
1 abused
2 abyss
2 accept
2 acceptable
1 access
7 accomplish
5 accomplished
1 accomplishment
3 accord
525 according
1 accordingly
73 account
1 accountable
2 accounted
1 accounts
6 accursed
1 accusation
5 accuse
3 accused
1 accusing
6 acknowledge
3 acknowledged
1 acknowledgeth
1 acquaint
3 acquainted
1 acquired
1 acres
9 across
10 act
3 acted
1 acting
1 activity
1 actual
26 adam
2 add
3 added
2 addition
1 address
1 adhere
1 adieu
15 administer
11 administered
3 administering
2 admit
1 admitted
1 admitting
2 admonish
3 admonished
1 admonishing
1 admonition
1 admonitions
1 adopted
2 adorn
1 adorning
1 adulterers
1 adulterous
11 adultery
10 advantage
1 advantages
5 adversaries
5 adversary
1 advocateth
1 afar
18 affairs
1 affections
6 affixed
9 afflict
33 afflicted
13 affliction
78 afflictions
1 afforded
2 affrighted
13 afraid
507 after
2 afterwards
478 again
557 against
1 agates
19 age
2 aged
1 aggravating
1 agony
2 agosh
3 agree
5 agreed
2 agreement
1 agreements
1 aha
4 ahah
5 ahaz
1 aiath
13 air
24 akish
1 alarming
5 alike
12 alive
1779 all
2 alliance
1 allotted
1 allotteth
1 allowance
2 all-powerful
2 all-searching
1 all-wise
2295 alma
13 almighty
11 almost
5 alms
23 alone
4 along
2 aloud
1 alpha
21 already
1034 also
4 altar
1 alter
1 alteration
9 altered
1 altering
3 although
1 altogether
41 always
199 am
6 amaleki
1 amalekite
18 amalekites
63 amalickiah
4 amalickiahites
1 amalickiah's
2 amaron
2 amazed
4 amazement
42 amen
2 amgid
3 aminadab
3 aminadi
1 amiss
16 amlici
27 amlicites
2 ammah
10 ammaron
173 ammon
26 ammonihah
1 ammonihahites
2 ammonites
24 ammoron
4 amnigaddah
1 amnihu
3 amnor
581 among
14 amongst
1 amoron
4 amos
3 amount
2 amoz
73 amulek
20 amulon
7 amulonites
369 an
1 anathoth
2 anchor
12 ancient
3 ancients
16321 and
1 anew
90 angel
55 angels
89 anger
1 angola
69 angry
11 anguish
1 ani-anti
1 animal
5 animals
1 ankles
3 anoint
8 anointed
1 anointing
121 another
1 another's
15 answer
33 answered
1 answering
2 anti-christ
11 anti-nephi-lehi
1 anti-nephi-lehies
1 antiomno
1 antion
1 antionah
5 antionum
9 antiparah
3 antipas
20 antipus
1 antum
8 anxiety
1 anxious
149 any
1 anyone
17 anything
3 apart
3 apostle
13 apostles
14 apparel
2 appeal
2 appealed
19 appear
4 appearance
7 appeared
3 appeareth
1 appearing
1 appears
1 appease
1 appeased
1 appellation
1 appetite
2 applied
1 apply
11 appoint
60 appointed
1 apprised
1 approach
1 approaching
1 arabian
1 archeantus
1165 are
2 aright
23 arise
2 ariseth
1 ark
37 arm
12 armed
150 armies
1 arming
9 armor
57 arms
2 arm-shields
136 army
32 arose
8 around
3 arouse
1 arpad
1 arraigned
1 arrange
1 arrayed
8 arrive
9 arrived
1 arrogancy
4 arrow
22 arrows
91 art
1 artificer
4 arts
1046 as
5 ascend
9 ascended
6 ascendeth
4 ascension
1 ascribe
1 ascribing
11 ashamed
2 ashes
14 aside
47 ask
1 asked
4 asketh
1 asking
3 asleep
2 asp
5 ass
18 assemble
7 assembled
1 assemblies
2 assembling
2 assembly
1 asses
9 assist
9 assistance
1 associate
1 assurance
1 assurances
1 assured
5 assuredly
8 assyria
3 assyrian
25 astonished
1 astonishing
18 astonishment
8 astray
6 asunder
395 at
2 ate
2 athirst
5 atone
28 atonement
3 atoneth
3 atoning
13 attack
2 attacked
3 attain
12 attempt
3 attempted
1 attempting
2 attempts
2 attended
2 attention
5 attitude
1 attributed
1 audience
2 aught
1 austere
3 author
47 authority
3 availeth
8 avenge
1 avengeth
1 avenging
5 await
1 awaiteth
1 awaits
23 awake
3 awaken
8 awakened
2 awaketh
3 aware
380 away
47 awful
2 awfulness
1 awkwardness
7 awoke
4 ax
1 babblings
2 babes
11 babylon
52 back
6 backs
15 bad
5 bade
1 baldness
10 ball
31 band
27 bands
1 banished
8 bank
4 banks
1 banner
26 baptism
28 baptize
85 baptized
6 baptizing
12 bar
1 barbarous
11 bare
5 barges
4 barley
1 barns
2 barren
1 base
1 baseness
1 bashan
1 bath
1 bathe
1 bats
134 battle
3 battles
2505 be
1 beach
3 beam
58 bear
1 beard
6 beareth
5 bearing
2 beast
34 beasts
29 beat
2 beaten
16 beautiful
6 beauty
96 became
800 because
1 beckoned
145 become
1 becomes
9 becometh
10 becoming
5 bed
2 bee
724 been
1 bees
1 befall
434 before
4 beforehand
418 began
42 begat
2 beggar
1 beggars
1 begged
3 begging
30 begin
11 beginneth
57 beginning
11 begotten
1 beguile
2 beguiled
9 begun
6 behalf
1 behave
128 beheld
2 beheldest
4 behind
1635 behold
11 beholdest
5 beholding
4 behooveth
261 being
2 beings
14 belief
204 believe
45 believed
4 believers
20 believest
19 believeth
13 believing
2 bellows
31 belong
12 belonged
5 belongeth
1 belonging
2 belongs
99 beloved
1 below
9 beneath
4 benefit
34 benjamin
2 bent
4 beseech
2 beset
3 besides
1 besom
2 besought
3 best
1 bestead
1 bestir
3 bestow
6 bestowed
1 bethabara
25 better
33 between
5 betwixt
3 beware
22 beyond
11 bible
5 bid
2 bidden
1 bidding
1 big
1 bill
15 bind
2 bindeth
1 binds
5 birth
2 bitten
12 bitter
1 bittern
5 bitterness
2 black
2 blackness
1 blade
1 blades
7 blameless
2 blaspheme
1 blasphemy
2 bled
1 bleeding
32 bless
139 blessed
18 blessing
16 blessings
2 blew
15 blind
3 blinded
1 blindeth
11 blindness
1 bliss
3 block
1 blocks
148 blood
22 bloodshed
4 bloodsheds
2 bloodthirsty
1 blood-thirsty
1 bloody
2 blossoms
1 blot
8 blotted
5 blow
2 bloweth
5 blows
15 boast
6 boasting
2 boastings
1 boaz
31 bodies
78 body
3 bold
12 boldly
12 boldness
6 bond
73 bondage
9 bonds
9 bones
1 bonnets
75 book
7 books
2 bordered
4 bordering
75 borders
4 bore
25 born
8 borne
2 borrow
2 borroweth
116 both
2 bottom
1 bough
29 bound
36 bountiful
1 bountifully
1 bounty
24 bow
12 bowed
8 bowels
1 boweth
13 bows
2 bracelets
2 brake
21 branch
53 branches
37 brass
1 brave
2 bravery
1 brazen
1 breach
22 bread
1 breadth
26 break
3 breaketh
1 breaking
3 breast
1 breastplate
10 breastplates
2 breasts
3 breastwork
6 breath
4 breathe
2 breathed
1 breathing
547 brethren
1 bricks
1 bride
1 bridle
6 briers
7 bright
7 brightness
1 brim
10 brimstone
170 bring
42 bringeth
27 bringing
3 broad
6 broke
49 broken
165 brother
10 brothers
2 brother's
256 brought
1 brow
1 bruise
1 bruised
1 brutal
1 brutality
1 bucklers
48 build
5 buildeth
13 building
13 buildings
70 built
1 bull
8 burden
1 burdened
1 burdeneth
10 burdens
1 burdensome
7 burial
21 buried
9 burn
20 burned
1 burneth
9 burning
5 burnt
1 burst
8 bury
3 burying
1 bushel
1 bushes
3 business
991 but
3 butter
5 buy
1187 by
2 byword
3 cain
3 calamity
2 calf
66 call
209 called
19 calling
1 callings
1 calm
1 calno
2 calves
1642 came
24 camp
1 camped
4 camps
193 can
1 candle
1 candles
1 candlestick
1 canker
1 cankered
131 cannot
10 canst
3 capable
2 capital
11 captain
27 captains
1 captivate
1 captivation
32 captive
6 captives
61 captivity
1 carbuncles
1 carcass
3 carcasses
1 carchemish
10 care
1 carefully
5 carnage
15 carnal
1 carnally-minded
1 carriages
56 carried
1 carrieth
33 carry
4 carrying
1 cart
15 case
3 cases
227 cast
1 casteth
6 casting
5 catch
7 cattle
9 caught
1 cauls
214 cause
153 caused
1 causes
5 causeth
7 causing
1 cautious
1 caves
5 cavity
35 cease
18 ceased
1 ceaseless
5 ceaseth
5 ceasing
3 cedars
4 cement
1 censured
9 center
1 ceremony
11 certain
1 certainly
3 cezoram
6 chaff
1 chain
1 chained
15 chains
2 chaldeans
1 chaldees'
6 chance
1 chances
16 change
3 changeable
11 changed
1 changeth
2 changing
1 channels
234 chapter
1 characters
10 charge
1 charges
7 chariots
1 charitable
27 charity
1 charmed
1 chased
1 chaste
3 chasten
5 chastened
1 chastisement
2 chastity
1 cheateth
2 check
1 checked
3 cheek
6 cheeks
3 cheer
1 cheerfully
3 chemish
3 cherubim
4 chickens
96 chief
2 chiefest
2 chiefly
1 chiefs
34 child
1 childhood
1 childishness
349 children
22 choice
1 choicest
2 choirs
17 choose
1 choosing
9 chose
38 chosen
382 christ
4 christians
1 christs
2 christ's
227 church
32 churches
3 cimeter
8 cimeters
1 circumcision
3 circumspectly
13 circumstances
1 cite
77 cities
312 city
1 civil
2 civilization
10 claim
5 claimeth
3 clapped
2 clasped
1 class
1 classes
1 clave
3 clay
6 clean
1 cleanse
10 cleansed
7 clear
1 cleared
1 clearly
7 cleave
1 cleaveth
1 clefts
1 climate
1 climb
1 clinging
2 cloak
8 close
2 closed
2 closet
1 closets
5 cloth
10 clothe
5 clothed
1 clothes
9 clothing
16 cloud
2 clouds
1 club
3 clubs
1 coal
1 coals
1 coarseness
5 coat
1 cockatrice
2 cockatrice's
7 cohor
1 cold
1 collected
1 colors
14 com
7 combination
21 combinations
2 combine
781 come
1 comeliness
2 comely
6 comes
1 comest
127 cometh
13 comfort
14 comforted
1 comfortedst
1 comforter
1 comforteth
83 coming
62 command
191 commanded
5 commander
1 commandest
11 commandeth
1 commanding
41 commandment
208 commandments
9 commands
17 commence
14 commenced
32 commencement
1 commend
1 commending
35 commit
20 committed
1 committeth
8 committing
5 common
1 communication
1 communion
2 comnor
1 company
1 compare
2 compared
7 compass
12 compassion
4 compel
20 compelled
5 complain
3 complained
1 complaining
1 complaint
1 complaints
1 complete
1 composed
2 compound
3 comprehend
1 comprehendeth
6 concealed
4 conceive
2 conceived
1 concerned
348 concerning
1 conclude
3 concourses
9 concubines
14 condemn
18 condemnation
12 condemned
4 condemneth
1 condemning
3 condescension
2 condescensions
2 condition
12 conditions
5 conduct
2 conducted
1 conduit
2 confederacy
2 confederate
7 confer
10 conferred
15 confess
3 confessed
1 confesses
2 confessing
1 confidence
1 confine
5 confined
1 confirm
1 confirming
1 conflict
11 confound
18 confounded
2 confoundeth
1 confounding
3 confused
2 confusion
1 congregation
1 congregations
6 conquer
4 conquered
1 conquerors
5 conscience
5 consciousness
8 consecrate
14 consecrated
1 consecrating
4 consequences
13 consider
2 considerable
3 considered
1 considerest
3 considering
1 consign
2 consignation
9 consigned
1 consist
3 consisted
1 consisting
1 consists
2 consolation
2 console
1 consoling
1 constellations
2 constrain
8 constrained
2 constraineth
4 construct
1 construction
2 consult
4 consulted
4 consume
6 consumed
2 consumeth
3 consuming
2 consumption
12 contain
10 contained
1 containeth
2 contains
1 contempt
44 contend
6 contended
2 contendeth
5 contending
1 content
34 contention
54 contentions
19 continual
51 continually
20 continue
3 continued
1 continuing
1 contradict
20 contrary
9 contrite
3 converse
3 conversed
2 conversing
5 conversion
2 convert
29 converted
1 convey
1 conveyed
5 convince
18 convinced
9 convincing
1 cook
8 copper
2 cord
14 cords
3 corianton
6 coriantor
11 coriantum
76 coriantumr
12 corihor
3 corn
1 corner
2 corners
4 corom
5 correct
4 correspondence
10 corrupt
13 corrupted
9 corruption
1 corruptness
1 costliness
8 costly
281 could
4 council
15 counsel
1 counseled
1 counseleth
2 counselor
5 counsels
6 counted
6 countenance
2 countenances
8 countries
38 country
14 courage
26 course
100 covenant
20 covenanted
1 covenanteth
2 covenanting
30 covenants
8 cover
14 covered
2 covering
1 covert
3 covet
4 cow
1 cows
2 cracks
2 craft
5 craftiness
1 create
50 created
1 creating
14 creation
10 creator
8 creature
3 creatures
1 creditors
2 crept
44 cried
18 cries
2 crieth
8 crime
12 crimes
1 crisis
1 crisping-pins
2 critical
1 crooked
1 crops
23 cross
5 crossed
1 crosses
2 crossing
1 crown
3 crucified
6 crucify
2 cruel
1 cruelty
2 crumble
1 crush
1 crushed
116 cry
8 crying
1 cubit
4 cumber
1 cumbered
7 cumeni
1 cumenihah
2 cumoms
9 cumorah
24 cunning
10 cup
1 cure
2 cureloms
1 cures
1 curing
6 curious
38 curse
30 cursed
2 curseth
10 cursing
1 curtains
1 cush
7 custom
72 cut
1 cuts
1 cutteth
1 cutting
1 daggers
11 daily
1 damage
4 damascus
10 damnation
8 damned
6 dance
1 danced
10 danger
4 dangerous
1 dare
1 daring
13 dark
6 darkened
2 darkest
91 darkness
1 dart
1 darts
2 dash
2 dashed
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2 manifesteth
1 manifesting
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2 manna
232 manner
8 man's
2 man-servant
4 mansions
22 manti
1 mantles
747 many
1 mar
58 march
15 marched
9 marching
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1 marked
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2 marred
1 marriage
2 married
1 marry
2 martyrdom
9 marvel
4 marveled
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54 marvelous
2 mary
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11 master
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8 matchless
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1 mathonihah
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12 mattereth
2 matters
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513 may
9 mayest
871 me
21 mean
16 meaneth
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46 means
3 meant
12 measure
2 measured
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2 mediator
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3 meekness
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5 meeting
1 meetings
5 melchizedek
8 melek
1 melody
3 melt
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1 mend
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84 mercy
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2 metals
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1 middle
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2 midian
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6 mightest
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85 mighty
1 migron
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3 milk
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5 mindful
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3 miraculous
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25 misery
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3 moment
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1 months
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18 moreover
1 moriancumer
25 morianton
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17 morning
14 moron
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20 moronihah
1 moroni's
42 morrow
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3 moses'
897 mosiah
1 mosiah's
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3 mote
5 moth
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15 mountain
32 mountains
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10 mouths
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1 mufflers
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2 muloki
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1 nephew
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24 nephihah
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4 never-ending
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4 often
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6 omnipotent
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22 once
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2 one-half
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1 one-tenth
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1 onihah
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2 onties
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36 others
1 other's
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35 ought
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24 ourselves
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16 overthrow
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3 owed
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226 own
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2 oxen
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3 pacify
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19 parents
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4 particularly
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44 parts
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2 passage
87 passed
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13 paths
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1 paying
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2 pearls
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37 perfect
1 perfected
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2 performance
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5 performed
43 perhaps
9 period
115 perish
15 perished
5 perisheth
2 perishing
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10 persecutions
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4 perverting
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7 pierce
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1 piercing
3 pillar
1 pillow
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19 pitch
15 pitched
2 pits
4 pity
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22 placed
35 places
2 placing
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13 plainly
15 plainness
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42 plan
1 planets
13 plans
11 plant
11 planted
1 plants
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4 play
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1 pleading
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3 please
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2 plots
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1 plow-shares
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12 plunder
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1 plunderers
7 plundering
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7 points
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1 pore
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21 possessions
29 possible
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15 poured
3 pouring
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1 powder
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12 powerful
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87 prepared
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17 preparing
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3 price
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4 princes
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10 privileges
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41 promise
31 promised
22 promises
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1 pronounced
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33 prophecy
27 prophesied
3 prophesieth
45 prophesy
16 prophesying
2 prophesyings
64 prophet
1 prophetess
123 prophets
1 proposed
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2 protector
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1 proudly
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1 provision
37 provisions
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3 provoke
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1 provoketh
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1 prudently
6 prune
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1 pruning-hooks
4 publish
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4 publisheth
3 publishing
9 puffed
1 puffing
7 pull
1 pulling
4 punish
14 punished
15 punishment
2 punishments
26 pure
1 purge
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1 purify
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34 purpose
3 purposed
11 purposes
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5 pursuing
2 pursuit
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7 putteth
2 putting
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3 quaking
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1 quantity
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7 quarters
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3 queens
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1 questioned
5 questions
14 quick
4 quickly
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2 quiver
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1 raca
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7 racked
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1 raging
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3 railing
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1 rains
44 raise
28 raised
2 raiseth
5 raising
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1 rameumptom
15 ran
2 ranks
1 ransom
1 ransomed
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2 rashly
32 rather
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2 reach
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1 reader
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3 reading
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7 real
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2 realize
2 really
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2 rearward
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1 reasonable
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9 rebelled
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20 rebellion
4 rebellions
2 rebellious
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6 rebuke
4 rebuked
5 recall
1 receded
104 receive
94 received
1 receivedst
15 receiveth
10 receiving
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5 reckoning
5 reclaim
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2 recommend
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5 reconciled
127 record
78 records
8 recover
3 recovered
15 red
25 redeem
34 redeemed
41 redeemer
4 redeemeth
3 redeeming
51 redemption
1 redoubled
1 reduce
2 reduced
1 reed
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1 refiners
1 refiner's
1 reformed
3 refrain
3 refuge
4 refuse
10 refused
1 refuseth
5 regained
2 regaining
2 regard
2 region
5 regions
1 regular
1 regulate
2 regulation
4 regulations
4 rehearse
9 rehearsed
156 reign
14 reigned
8 reigneth
5 reigns
2 reins
12 reject
24 rejected
1 rejecteth
2 rejecting
72 rejoice
9 rejoiced
4 rejoiceth
10 rejoicing
4 rejoicings
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3 relief
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10 religion
1 relinquished
1 reluctance
1 reluctantly
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5 relying
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57 remainder
11 remained
5 remaineth
3 remaining
1 remains
3 remaliah
2 remaliah's
1 remarkable
161 remember
20 remembered
3 rememberest
7 remembereth
2 remembering
28 remembrance
1 reminding
28 remission
60 remnant
2 remnants
3 remorse
4 remove
9 removed
1 removing
8 rend
3 render
2 rendered
1 rending
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17 rent
4 repair
1 repaired
2 repay
205 repent
99 repentance
35 repented
17 repenteth
3 repenting
1 repents
1 repetitions
1 replenished
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5 representation
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3 reprove
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1 reputation
3 request
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4 required
1 requires
1 requireth
6 requisite
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2 reserved
1 residue
7 resist
1 resistance
1 resisting
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2 resolved
1 resolving
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1 resorted
3 respect
1 respecter
2 responsibility
47 rest
2 rested
19 restoration
4 restore
40 restored
5 restoring
2 restrain
1 restrained
81 resurrection
25 retain
12 retained
3 retaining
2 retake
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13 retreat
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1 retreats
86 return
57 returned
1 returneth
2 returning
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4 reunited
1 reuniting
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13 revealed
17 revelation
16 revelations
1 revelator
4 revenge
1 reverence
18 revile
7 reviled
2 revilings
1 revive
1 revolted
1 revolution
16 reward
3 rewarded
1 rewardeth
2 rewards
5 rezin
21 rich
46 riches
6 rid
1 ridge
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52 right
107 righteous
4 righteous'
2 righteously
103 righteousness
3 rightly
17 rights
1 rims
1 ringlets
1 rings
1 riotings
1 riotous
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4 ripened
1 ripeness
4 ripening
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7 riplakish
1 ripliancum
35 rise
8 risen
1 risest
6 rising
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3 rivers
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4 roads
3 roar
1 roared
2 roaring
12 rob
7 robbed
6 robber
55 robbers
1 robbery
4 robbing
2 robbings
5 robe
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10 rocks
22 rod
1 roe
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3 rolled
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1 rooted
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1 rope
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1 rottenness
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91 round
3 rudeness
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1 ruins
13 rule
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20 ruler
7 rulers
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1 ruling
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7 run
5 running
2 rush
2 rushed
3 rust
5 sabbath
4 sackcloth
1 sacrament
27 sacred
15 sacrifice
2 sacrificed
3 sacrifices
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10 safety
647 said
2 saidst
3 sail
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1 saint
28 saints
187 saith
23 sake
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2 salem
2 sally
1 sallying
4 salt
1 salted
88 salvation
11 sam
7 samaria
114 same
16 samuel
2 sanctification
10 sanctified
5 sanctify
8 sanctuaries
2 sanctuary
5 sand
1 sands
3 sandy
1 sapphires
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5 sariah
12 sat
26 satan
4 satisfied
1 satisfieth
2 satisfy
1 satyrs
1 saul
217 save
81 saved
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1 sawest
515 say
5 sayest
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26 sayings
5 says
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60 scattered
1 scattereth
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1 score
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1 scornful
11 scourge
4 scourged
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41 scriptures
3 scroll
95 sea
13 seal
18 sealed
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1 seantum
30 search
6 searched
1 searches
26 seashore
20 season
4 seasons
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2 seats
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54 second
1 secondly
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2 secrete
2 secreted
3 secretly
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2 secure
1 secured
11 security
1 seduced
155 see
173 seed
9 seeds
33 seeing
66 seek
1 seeker
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10 seeking
1 seem
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10 seer
1 seers
1 sees
12 seest
9 seeth
3 seezoram
2 seize
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10 self
5 selfsame
5 sell
42 send
5 sendeth
3 sending
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5 sense
2 sensual
149 sent
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11 separated
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2 separation
4 sepulchre
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9 serpents
1 serpent's
75 servant
73 servants
41 serve
3 served
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10 service
1 serviceable
74 set
3 seth
1 setteth
2 setting
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4 settled
6 seven
4 seventeenth
22 seventh
19 seventy
1 seventy-nine
1 seventy-six
2 several
1 severally
1 severe
1 severity
10 shadow
1 shadows
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7 shaken
1 shaketh
2485 shall
1 shallow
105 shalt
8 shame
13 shared
6 sharp
1 sharply
6 sharpness
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2 shazer
56 she
1 shearer
1 shearers
1 shearjashub
1 sheath
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1 sheddeth
29 shedding
25 sheep
1 sheep's
1 shelem
1 shelf
3 shem
6 shemlon
1 shemnon
21 shepherd
1 shepherds
3 sherem
3 sherrizah
1 sheum
9 shez
7 shiblom
13 shiblon
1 shiblons
2 shiblum
1 shield
3 shielded
10 shields
1 shiloah
15 shilom
3 shim
1 shimnilom
1 shinar
12 shine
1 shined
1 shining
22 ship
2 shipping
4 ships
31 shiz
1 shock
1 shod
1 shoes
1 shoe's
1 shone
8 shook
1 shoot
2 shore
1 shores
3 shorn
5 short
1 shortened
1 shorter
6 shortly
1 shot
1178 should
3 shoulder
8 shoulders
11 shouldst
3 shout
95 show
27 showed
3 showeth
7 showing
29 shown
6 shrink
1 shrunk
26 shule
2 shum
2 shurr
13 shut
18 sick
1 sick-beds
1 sicken
1 sickle
2 sickness
2 sicknesses
15 side
10 sides
7 sidom
37 sidon
6 siege
2 sift
24 sight
42 sign
1 signed
1 signify
27 signs
4 silence
1 silenced
1 silent
1 silk
5 silks
1 silly
52 silver
1 silverlings
1 similitude
1 simple
2 simpleness
65 sin
2 sinai
27 since
2 sincere
5 sincerity
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3 sinful
24 sing
9 singing
3 single
1 sinim
1 sink
5 sinned
4 sinner
4 sinners
162 sins
1 siron
1 sisters
21 sit
1 sitteth
4 sitting
3 situation
18 six
2 sixteen
4 sixteenth
25 sixth
1 sixtieth
31 sixty
1 size
1 skilful
2 skill
6 skin
8 skins
1 skirts
2 slacken
1 slackened
151 slain
18 slaughter
1 slaughtered
1 slaughters
1 slavery
6 slaves
108 slay
2 slayeth
6 slaying
16 sleep
1 sleepeth
4 slept
26 slew
5 sling
8 slings
1 slipped
4 slippery
4 slothful
2 slothfulness
11 slow
2 slumber
2 slumbered
50 small
1 smallest
1 smallness
1 smell
2 smile
1 smiled
54 smite
1 smiter
2 smiteth
1 smith
2 smiting
47 smitten
12 smoke
1 smoking
5 smooth
26 smote
5 snare
1 snared
4 snares
2 snatch
2 snatched
1 snow
360 so
1 soap
1 sobbings
4 sober
6 soberness
4 society
2 sodom
1 soever
10 soften
1 softened
1 softening
1 softly
2 sojourn
7 sold
2 soldier
5 soldiers
3 sole
3 solemn
1 solemnity
1 soles
2 solid
6 solomon
1 solomon's
75 some
2 something
1 sometimes
43 somewhat
342 son
3 song
166 sons
44 soon
2 sooner
2 soothsayers
1 sorcerers
2 sorceries
30 sore
2 sorely
1 soreness
52 sorrow
1 sorrowed
2 sorroweth
19 sorrowful
2 sorrowing
6 sorrows
3 sorry
1 sort
1 sorts
65 sought
160 soul
91 souls
10 sound
1 source
35 south
1 south-southeast
20 southward
6 sow
87 space
10 spacious
170 spake
1 spanned
36 spare
19 spared
1 spareth
3 sparing
1 spark
2 sparks
182 speak
2 speakest
12 speaketh
41 speaking
1 speaks
2 spears
1 special
6 speech
7 speed
23 speedily
7 speedy
6 spend
6 spent
10 spies
1 spill
2 spilt
3 spin
2 spindles
276 spirit
17 spirits
20 spiritual
7 spiritually
1 spiritually-minded
5 spit
2 spitting
7 spoil
2 spoiled
1 spoils
250 spoken
3 spokesman
8 spot
11 spotless
1 spotted
20 spread
4 spreading
1 spring
2 springing
2 springs
1 sprinkle
1 sprouted
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1 sprung
3 spurn
1 spurneth
3 spy
1 stab
3 stabbed
7 staff
1 stagger
4 stain
3 stained
2 stains
2 stakes
2 stalk
2 stall
109 stand
8 standard
1 standard-bearer
7 standeth
10 standing
2 star
1 stare
5 stars
1 start
4 started
77 state
1 stated
2 stating
3 stationed
1 stations
6 stature
13 statutes
15 stay
46 stead
6 steadfast
6 steadfastly
4 steadfastness
4 steadiness
12 steal
5 stealing
1 stealings
5 steel
3 steer
1 stem
2 steps
1 stick
2 stiff
1 stiffen
1 stiffened
20 stiffnecked
4 stiffneckedness
2 stiffness
45 still
1 stimulate
4 sting
3 stink
1 stinketh
34 stir
15 stirred
4 stirreth
5 stirring
3 stole
3 stolen
1 stomacher
9 stone
11 stoned
42 stones
1 stoning
64 stood
16 stop
1 stopped
1 stoppeth
2 store
1 storehouse
10 storm
2 stout
1 stoutness
11 straight
1 straightness
2 straightway
11 strait
1 straiten
1 straitened
7 strange
3 stranger
4 strangers
7 stratagem
2 straw
1 streams
1 street
7 streets
119 strength
21 strengthen
5 strengthened
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Tobacco deaths

2007-12-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

An American Cancer Society report confirms yet again how much the world needs the Lord's counsel in the Word of Wisdom. According to this report,"there will be more than 12 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2007." Amazing, "tobacco was responsible for about 100 million deaths around the world during the 20th Century, and it is projected to kill more than 1 billion people in the 21st century."

Given tobacco's terrible addictiveness and Satan's plan to use it to bind people, the Lord gave Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants to protect his sons and daughters:

3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

"Chain"-smoking takes on a whole new meaning in light of this revelation.

To read the FoxNews article, click here.

Eisenhower and Moroni...Inspiring the Troops

2007-11-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

General Dwight D. Eisenhower's message to the troops of the Allied Expeditionary Forces on the morning of "Operation Overlord," June 6, 1944, ended with these words:

The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Thank goodness for a wise leader who understood the need to inspire his troops at such a crucial moment. Eisenhower's message reminds me of the 43rd chapter of Alma in which Captain Moroni encouraged the Nephite armies at a critical moment where victory hung in the balance:

48 And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.
49 And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.
50 And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them...

Sadly, many of our leaders today do not have the same wisdom to inspire those who are fighting to defeat terrorism. Worse, they are discouraging our troops. For example, on April 19, 2007, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared "that this war is lost, that the surge is not accomplishing anything."

That kind of talk will not inspire the sacrifice, selfless service, and dedication needed to win the war on terror. Thank goodness for a wise man with vision and hope who lead the efforts of the free world in that dark hour of World War II. May we be fortunate enough to elect leaders who can lead the free world to victory against the tyranny of terrorism.

Churchill and the Defense of Freedom

2007-11-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Freedom – agency – is one of the greatest gifts granted us by our Father in Heaven. The Lord told Enoch,

"Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency." (Moses 7:32)

So important was this gift that Satan sought to take it away during the War in Heaven:

Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;" (Moses 4:3)

Satan has continued his war on our agency through the present day. This war manifests itself in many ways from actual armed conflict by aggressors like the Nazis to the enticements of sin which can bind us with the chains of hell (2 Nephi 28:22). Gratefully, inspired men and women have stood up against Satan's in defense of liberty.

Winston Churchill was one of these men. The speech Dwight D. Eisenhower made at Churchill's funeral on January 30, 1965 shows how devoted Churchill was to this cause. The following are quotes from this speech:

The war ended, our friendship flowered in the later and more subtle tests imposed by international politics. Then, each of us, holding high official posts in his own nation, strove together so to concert the strength of our two peoples that liberty might be preserved among men and the security of the free world wholly sustained.

...

At this moment, as our hearts stand at attention, we say our affectionate, though sad, goodbye to the leader to whom the entire body of free men owes so much.

...

In the coming years, many in countless words will strive to interpret the motives, describe the accomplishments, and extol the virtues of Winston Churchill—soldier, statesman, and citizen that two great countries were proud to claim as their own. Among all the things so written or spoken, there will ring out through all the centuries one incontestable refrain: Here was a champion of freedom.

...

May we carry on his work until no nation lies in captivity; no man is denied opportunity for fulfillment.

To read the entire speech, click here.

Captain Moroni and the War in Iraq

2007-11-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

The book of Alma is full of many accounts of wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites. Captain Moroni, leader of the Nephite armies during that period reminds us of the difference between the Nephites and Lamanites. I believe that difference reflects the situation we find ourselves in today in Iraq and Afghanistan and, indeed, throughout the world in the war on terrorism.

At the beginning of Alma 44, a Lamanite army that sought to conquer the Nephites has been surrounded by the Nephite army. God has strengthened the Nephites and delivered the Lamanites into their hands. In verse 2, Moroni declares the following to Zerahemnah, the Lamanite commander:

"Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion."

The U.S.-led coalition finds itself in the same situation today. We have no desire to conquer and control Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather, like Moroni, we are trying to defend free people from those who wish to bring the world into "the yoke of bondage."

Marcus Luttrell, a heroic Navy SEAL who fought in Afghanistan, confirmed this when he stated:

"Just like always, warlords were trying to drive out the usurpers. Us. And we weren't even usurping, just trying to stop another bloody tribal upheaval and another regime change from the elected to the dictators." (Lone Survivor, page 73)

Of course, we should always seek for peace. Jesus Christ taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). However, we are also taught to defend freedom "even unto bloodshed" if necessary:

"And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion." (Alma 43:47)

Pray for peace, but be willing to fight when necessary to defend God-given freedom.

Message of Hope from Iraq

2007-11-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Too often we hear only bad news coming out of Iraq. Here's a message of hope and success. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with local Iraqi authorities and workers to increase electrical generation capacity that will provide power for an additional 180,000 homes. This is just one example of many showing how Americans and Iraqis are sacrificing much together to bring a bright future to the people of Iraq who want and deserve the freedom we enjoy. To read the story, follow this link:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48089

Indifference Concerning the Freedom of Their Country

2007-09-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Alma 59 and found the last few verses quite interesting probably because they appear to apply to our situation today. In verse 9, Captain Moroni is lamenting the success the Lamanite armies are having against the Nephites. Because the Nephites have smaller armies than the Lamanites, Moroni notes that it's easier to maintain their cities than to reclaim them from the Lamanites.

Moroni identifies two reasons why the Nephites have suffered these losses. First, verse 11 reveals that Moroni "was exceedingly sorrowful ... because of the wickedness of the people," and he "began to doubt ... whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren." The Book of Mormon makes it clear that when the people are righteous, the Lord delivers them from the hands of their enemies. That raises the question whether we could be more successful in the global war on terrorism if all the peoples of the free world were more righteous and more reliant on the Lord. I suspect the answer is yes.

Second, verse 13 indicates that Moroni "was angry with the government, because of their indifference concerning the freedom of their country." Clearly, Moroni placed some of the blame for their losses on the lack of support from the Nephite government. Moroni believed that if the Nephite armies had been strong enough, they could have maintained the cities they possessed, but because the government withheld support, they lost some of their cities. How does this apply to us today? I'm not sure, but I believe that all free peoples who believe in God should stand up and be willing to defend "their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, their rites of worship and their church" (Alma 43:45).

It appears Moroni understood that our freedom from tyranny is composed of two parts: 1) doing all we can do to defend ourselves, and 2) living righteously and relying on the Lord.

Amalickiah and Islamic Extremists

2007-08-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

While Islamic extremists are the greatest threat in the world today, many people think it fashionable to argue that the U.S. is the real source of evil. Take for example a poll conducted in Europe in June 2006. More than one-third of respondents identified the US "as the greatest threat to global stability" (Financial Times, 18 June 2006).

These people are misguided. The Book of Mormon teaches us how to identify good from evil. The story of Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty lists the criteria by which we can tell who is on the Lord's side and who is not.

We read in Alma 46 about a wicked man named Amalickiah. Contrary to the law of the land, Amalickiah sought to become the king of the Nephites. He used flattering words to persuade people who wanted power to follow him and make him their king. Many members of the Church dissented because of his flattery.

Verse 10 describes his ultimate goal. He used cunning and flattery to lead "away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them."

In response to this threat, Moroni, the leader of the Nephite armies, rent his coat and wrote upon a piece of it, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (verse 12). Fastened upon a pole, this Title of Liberty became his motto and represents his ultimate goal in start contrast to that of Amalickiah. Moroni then "prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren" (verse 13).

While Amalickiah lead many away to do wickedly including some of the Church who dissented, many others flocked to the standard of Captain Moroni. Those who chose to stand for liberty entered into a covenant saying, "We covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed ... if we shall fall into transgression" (verse 22).

How can we tell where the evil in the world truly lies today? All we must do is compare the situation today to that faced by the Nephites in the days of Moroni:

Amalickiah	Islamic extremists (e.g., Ahmadinejad, bin Laden)
Wants power over Nephites	Want power over free nations
Uses cunning words and flattery (dishonesty and vanity) to persuade	Uses controlled state press, liberal media, and the Internet to persuade with no regard for the truth; also use lies and threats (e.g., beheadings) to achieve goals
Promises power to followers	Promise virgins in the afterlife and other unrighteous desires to followers
Seeks to destroy the Church	Seek to destroy religious freedom and tolerance
Seeks to destroy liberty	Seek to take away all freedoms (e.g., free press, free speech, voting rights)

Moroni	U.S. and its Allies
Focuses on God and religion	Founded on principles of faith in God
Seeks freedom	Ultimate goal of U.S. military is to maintain freedom from outside control
Desires peace	The U.S. does not use war to force other nations to become Christian or to take away their freedom
Focuses on defending the family	Many in the U.S. seek to protect marriage and the unborn; wives and daughters have equal opportunities under the law
Prays for liberty	Many pray for freedom from terrorism
Followers covenant to keep God's commandments	Many strive to follow the laws of God embodied in the 10 commandments

Note the warning of the prophet Isaiah: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). This prophecy certainly applies to the practice of labeling President Bush and the U.S. as the greatest threat to world peace today. Satan wants to deceive us into thinking that if we do not fight terrorism, there will be peace in the world and we will be able to say "All is well in Zion." That belief will only allow Satan greater freedom to take away our freedom to worship God.

Land of the Noble Free

2007-06-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

We're approaching that time of year when we sing our national hymns of patriotism. They remind us that our land is full of noble people and that we should be noble in our freedom. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" reminds us that we live in the "land of the noble free." In "America the Beautiful" we sing, "America! America! May God thy gold refine, Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!"

I recently read of a wonderful example of success becoming nobleness. A graduate of the University of Chicago anonymously donated $100 million to the university. This donation will provide 800 full and 400 partial scholarships lower-income students. Click here to read more.

Ronald Reagan once said, "We are a humane and generous people." Later, he declared that "With all our faults, we're the most generous people in the world." May we live up to his vision of America and follow the example of this great benefactor in using our freedom and success nobly.

The War: "Where does the Church stand in all of this?"

2007-05-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

With so much conflict in the world today, and legitimate arguments supporting the war and calling for its end, what position should a good member of the Church take on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan? While anyone who has read my blog knows how I feel about this, I won't presume to say there is one right answer for everyone. We all must follow the Spirit, the counsel of our Church leaders, the scriptures, and the dictates of our conscience. That said, President Hinckley spoke on this topic in the April 2003 General Conference (Gordon B. Hinckley, "War and Peace," Ensign, May 2003, 78). Here is a substantial quote from his talk:

The question arises, "Where does the Church stand in all of this?"

First, let it be understood that we have no quarrel with the Muslim people or with those of any other faith. We recognize and teach that all the people of the earth are of the family of God. And as He is our Father, so are we brothers and sisters with family obligations one to another.

But as citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national leaders. They have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally. Those in the armed services are under obligation to their respective governments to execute the will of the sovereign. When they joined the military service, they entered into a contract by which they are presently bound and to which they have dutifully responded.

One of our Articles of Faith, which represent an expression of our doctrine, states, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law" (A of F 1:12).

But modern revelation states that we are to "renounce war and proclaim peace" (D&C 98:16).

In a democracy we can renounce war and proclaim peace. There is opportunity for dissent. Many have been speaking out and doing so emphatically. That is their privilege. That is their right, so long as they do so legally. However, we all must also be mindful of another overriding responsibility, which I may add, governs my personal feelings and dictates my personal loyalties in the present situation.

When war raged between the Nephites and the Lamanites, the record states that “the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for … power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

"And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God" (Alma 43:45–46).

The Lord counseled them, "Defend your families even unto bloodshed" (Alma 43:47).

And Moroni "rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

"And he fastened on his headplate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren" (Alma 46:12–13).

It is clear from these and other writings that there are times and circumstances when nations are justified, in fact have an obligation, to fight for family, for liberty, and against tyranny, threat, and oppression.

When all is said and done, we of this Church are people of peace. We are followers of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Prince of Peace. But even He said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matt. 10:34).

This places us in the position of those who long for peace, who teach peace, who work for peace, but who also are citizens of nations and are subject to the laws of our governments. Furthermore, we are a freedom-loving people, committed to the defense of liberty wherever it is in jeopardy. I believe that God will not hold men and women in uniform responsible as agents of their government in carrying forward that which they are legally obligated to do. It may even be that He will hold us responsible if we try to impede or hedge up the way of those who are involved in a contest with forces of evil and repression.

I believe that one thing all members of the Church can unitedly do is pray for peace and pray that our leaders will be lead by the Spirit of Truth.

America Stands for Freedom

2007-05-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

In his 1982 Christmas Day radio address, President Ronald Reagan read a letter from Ordnance Man, First Class, John Mooney, written to his parents while aboard the aircraft carrier Midway. Of this letter quoted below, President Reagan said, "To me, it sums up so much of what is best about the Christmas spirit, the American character, and what this beloved land of ours stands for -- not only to ourselves but to millions of less fortunate people around the globe."

"Dear Mom and Dad," he wrote, "today we spotted a boat in the water, and we rendered assistance. We picked up 65 Vietnamese refugees. It was about a two-hour job getting everyone aboard, and then they had to get screened by intelligence and checked out by medical and fed and clothed and all that.

"But now they're resting on the hangar deck, and the kids -- most of them seem to be kids . . . are sitting in front of probably the first television set they've ever seen, watching `Star Wars'. Their boat was sinking as we came alongside. They'd been at sea five days, and had run out of water. All in all, a couple of more days and the kids would have been in pretty bad shape.

"I guess once in awhile," he writes, "we need a jolt like that for us to realize why we do what we do and how important, really, it can be. I mean, it took a lot of guts for those parents to make a choice like that to go to sea in a leaky boat in hope of finding someone to take them from the sea. So much risk! But apparently they felt it was worth it rather than live in a Communist country.

"For all of our problems, with the price of gas, and not being able to afford a new car or other creature comforts this year . . . I really don't see a lot of leaky boats heading out of San Diego looking for the Russian ships out there. . . .

"After the refugees were brought aboard, I took some pictures, but as usual I didn't have my camera with me for the REAL picture -- the one blazed in my mind. . . .

"As they approached the ship, they were all waving and trying as best they could to say, `Hello America sailor! Hello Freedom man!' It's hard to see a boat full of people like that and not get a lump somewhere between chin and bellybutton. And it really makes one proud and glad to be an American. People were waving and shouting and choking down lumps and trying not to let other brave men see their wet eyes. A lieutenant next to me said, `Yeah, I guess it's payday in more ways than one.' (We got paid today.) And I guess no one could say it better than that.

"It reminds us all of what America has always been -- a place a man or woman can come to for freedom. I know we're crowded and we have unemployment and we have a real burden with refugees, but I honestly hope and pray we can always find room. We have a unique society, made up of cast-offs of all the world's wars and oppressions, and yet we're strong and free. We have one thing in common -- no matter where our forefathers came from, we believe in that freedom.

"I hope we always have room for one more person, maybe an Afghan or a Pole or someone else looking for a place . . . where he doesn't have to worry about his family's starving or a knock on the door in the night . . ." and where "all men who truly seek freedom and honor and respect and dignity for themselves and their posterity can find a place where they can . . . finally see their dreams come true and their kids educated and become the next generations of doctors and lawyers and builders and soldiers and sailors.

Love, John."

This is why we should teach our children how great America is and why we should be patriotic. While it's people are not perfect, America stands for freedom and hope in a troubled world where evil men wish to exercise unrighteous dominion to take away our freedom to worship God and seek for better lives for ourselves and our families.

New Google tools and the Church

2007-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Google Labs has come out with a few interesting new search functions: Timeline view and Map view. Try these out these searches:

"Book of Mormon" view:timeline

LDS history view:timeline

"Brigham Young University" view:timeline

Mormon history view:map

utah national parks view:map

Some searches work better than others. Try this one:

Moroni view:map

It's clearly still in the experimental stage, but the mapping is still an interesting tool.

Though it's been available for some time, another fun tool is Google Sets. Try entering the following sets, click on Large Set, and see what Google comes up with:

Lehi, Nephi, Moroni
Jacob, Mosiah, Alma

I'm not sure how useful these tools are, but they're fun. That said, if anyone has ideas for how to use these tools in our gospel study, lesson preparation, etc., post a comment!

Alcohol, the National Hypocrisy

2007-05-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

The government has heavily regulated and even withdrawn approval for many drugs because of the potential harm they can cause, even when they have a real medical benefit. However, despite the number of people who are hurt and die every year as a direct result of alcohol consumption, the government does not regulate it at all. That we Americans permit this is disgraceful and hypocritical.

Many people die every year as a result of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that in 2001, the United States had 75,766 alcohol-attributable deaths (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ardi/Homepage.aspx). The causes of these deaths varied from drunk driving to liver disease. But sadly, many of these deaths were innocent people including children who suffered because others had been under the influence of alcohol.

These figures don't take into account the number of people who suffer alcohol-attributable disease, injury, or abuse. For example, studies indicate thousands are children are born every year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a “a set of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.” According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Overall, the available literature points to a prevalence rate of FAS of 0.5 to 2 cases per 1,000 births in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s” (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-3/159-167.htm). Approximately 4,000,000 live births were registered in the United States in 1994 (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statab/t941x01.pdf). Using the estimates above, between 2,000 and 8,000 babies are born every year with FAS. Because of alcohol, these innocent children suffer from “deficits in general intellectual functioning, ... difficulties with learning, memory, attention, and problem solving as well as problems with mental health and social interactions” (NIH).

The U.S. Government regulates medications because of their potential harm to individuals. As a result, drugs are subjected to heavy testing to ensure an acceptable degree of safety before they are permitted to be sold. Even then, prescription drugs cannot be purchased without a prescription from a licensed physician who has verified that an individual can safely take the medication. In addition, the physician must tell the patient how much they can take and in what intervals.

In extreme cases where a drug has proven to be more dangerous than originally thought, the government has withdrawn its approval for the sale of the drug. In most cases, few people had to die before approval was withdrawn. Take Propulsid, for instance. This medication was approved for the treatment of severe nighttime heartburn in 1993. By 1999, the government decided to withdraw approval for Propulsid because it had been linked to the deaths of 80 people during that six-year period. (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_56592)

While Propulsid provided a medical benefit to many people who took it, the drug was taken off the market because a small number faced a higher risk of death or illness. Despite the fact that alcohol plays a direct roll in the deaths of far more people than withdrawn drugs had, the federal government continues to permit its sale and distribution. Herein lies the hypocrisy. We won't tolerate something harming innocent people unless that something is desirable to ourselves. We Americans tolerate this hypocrisy because so many people don't want to give up alcohol with its non-medicinal, mood-altering benefits. Worse, most Americans ignore what alcohol does to the innocent and the rest of society so that they won't have to face this hypocrisy. Those who do face it use arguments of moderation or rights to deflect the argument away from those who suffer, pay, and die because of alcohol.

I am not arguing for a complete ban. We don't have the will to uphold it, and too many people would disobey the law anyway. Rather, I argue that the government must step in and regulate alcohol like it does other drugs in order to protect the the population, both users and innocent alike.

The Lord's warning in Doctrine and Covenants 89 is relevant today. We as a people are weak in protecting ourselves from alcohol; Satan knows this and is working hard to use it to bring us further into bondage. Of course, the best solution is to avoid alcohol and to encourage others to use their agency abstain from it. But given that alcohol is addictive and mood altering, and given that Satan is working hard to trap people with it, I recommend that the federal government treat it the same way it does other drugs in order to protect those who use it and the innocent.

Virginia Tech and Iraq--How to Find Peace

2007-04-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Reflecting upon the tragedy of today's events reminds me that we live in a world where people are free to choose between good and evil. So how can we find peace? How can we stop the evils we're witnessing in shootings, bombings, and other acts of terror and violence?

The only true and lasting way to peace is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. President John Adams, one of our founding fathers, stated, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Only by changing the hearts of men so that they choose, of their own will, to live moral lives can we ultimately enjoy freedom from crime and terror. As we're seeing in Iraq, no constitution of the people can guarantee freedom from evil. Freedom, and therefore peace, can only come when a people live morally of their own accord.

How can we preach the gospel of peace that leads to freedom from evil? It must first begin in the home. Every killer had a mother and father. As parents, we must take the sacred responsibility to raise our children in such a way that they will seek peace, love their neighbors, and respect others' freedom. Not all children of good parents choose the right path, but if more parents made their children a higher priority, particularly above their own interests, fewer children would choose to harm others.

Parents can best help their children by raising them with the gospel. Whether LDS or not, Christian parents need to be active participants in their churches and ensure that their children are too. Mothers also need to make their children their highest priority, staying home full-time where possible. Parents must do all they can to love each other and avoid divorce. Finally, parents must treat their children with love, respect, and kindness and avoid abuse which can build up anger and teach destructive social skills.

Second, we must be better missionaries and do more to support missionary work around the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ can do more to change a person's heart than anything else (see Alma 5:12-14). We should pray continually that countries not currently open to the Church will permit missionaries to enter and legally share the gospel. Until that happens, we should do all we can to share the gospel ourselves. Many people from those countries come to the United States and learn of Jesus Christ and accept his gospel. They will do much in coming years to take the gospel to their own people.

Finally, until that day when the Lord reigns on the earth, we must stand united against those who would turn to violence. By so doing, the forces of evil will be more likely to choose peace. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan declared, "We live in a precarious world threatened by totalitarian forces who seek to subvert and destroy freedom. The peace we enjoy is maintained only by our strength and resolve, and it's our duty to fortify both." That council, given under threat of communism, applies today in the face of terrorism.

If we do not stand up to evil, it will continue to press us on every front. We must embrace peace wherever possible, but that peace must be backed up with the strength and will to oppose evil. If we are not united, evil will exploit our division. During his first inaugural address, President Reagan stated this position: "Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength."

America has demonstrated through its short history the peace and prosperity that accompanies righteous living. America has also proven its depth of compassion. Finally, America has shown in times past that it will not tolerate those who will hurt and kill the innocent. Satan wants the world to believe America is its enemy because in reality, America is the "the last best hope of man on Earth" (Ronald Reagan, 1964). Remember, Satan calls "evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). If we stand united against evil and for peace and compassion, the world will see through the lies and stand with us in opposing terror. If, however, we criticize ourselves and highlight the exceptions and mistakes, Satan and his hosts of wickedness will exploit this criticism to take away our ability to stop terror.

So what is the plan to peace? First and foremost, live and preach the gospel in our families and around the world. Second, maintain our strength and unity to stop terror until that time the gospel floods the earth and the Lord reigns on it.

Free from Debt...Practical Ideas

2007-03-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

Don't be a slave to debt. Uncontrolled debt can cause financial ruin and place great strain on individuals and marriages. President Gordon B. Hinckley of the LDS Church said, “To satisfy our desires, we go into debt, dissipate our resources in the payment of high interest, and become as slaves working to pay it off. Debt can be a terrible thing” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “‘Thou Shalt Not Covet’,” Ensign, Mar 1990, 2).

Eliminating debt brings freedom and peace and leads to prosperity. Control your future by getting out of debt, spending less than you earn, and investing. As long as you're in debt, you're making other people rich by paying them interest. Instead of making other people rich, let other people increase your wealth by spending less than you earn and investing the difference.

The first step in gaining your freedom from debt, and the focus of this article, is to cut back on spending. The less money you spend, the more you can use to pay off your debt, especially if you're already living within your means. Most people would be surprised how much they spend and how easily they can decrease their monthly spending.

Here are some ideas for reducing your spending.

Quit Smoking. Give up smoking—or at least cut back! Cigarettes are a 100% unnecessary expense. If you average one pack per day at $4.00 per pack, giving them up will save you nearly $1,500 per year. In addition, if you stop smoking, your health will improve and your health costs will decrease. This goes the same for chewing tobacco.

Replace Alcohol and Soda with Water. Cutting back on beer and soda can save you hundreds of dollars a year—and cut inches off your waist too!

Cut Phone Costs. If you have both a cell phone and a home telephone, you may be able to save a lot of money by dropping one or the other. If your children have cell phones, ask yourself whether they really need them. Cell phone costs can be quite high especially if the kids go over their minutes or if you're paying for other things like text messaging. If you only have a home phone, decide whether you can live without services like caller ID. You may also want to shop around for cheaper long-distance companies.

Reduce Internet Costs. If you have broadband Internet access, consider dial-up instead which can be just a quarter of the cost of broadband or less. You can cut back on Internet costs completely by using free Internet access at your local library, or if you have a laptop with wireless capability, go to free hot zones to check your email.

Cut Cable Costs. Consider dropping your cable TV altogether. That can save you $40 per month or more for just basic cable. Not only will this save you hundreds of dollars a year, but it will be good for your family. If you can't live without the cable, consider a cheaper plan. For example, if you have digital cable, change to a basic cable plan. That could save you $20 or more a month plus the costs of a set-top box or DVR if the cable company charges for that too. You should also consider bundling your services with one company. You could save a lot of money each month if you consolidate your cable, telephone, and Internet with the same company. In many places, the local telephone and cable companies both offer all three services and will give you a discount for bundling. Finally, if you pay for TIVO or another service like it, consider eliminating it and just using your old VCR.

Eat out Less. Eating fast food and going to restaurants frequently may be adding thousands of dollars to your food bill every year. Cutting back even a little can save a lot. For example, if you spend $6 a day at lunch for fast food, consider making your own lunch at home for $2 and taking it to work. Eating your own lunch three times a week would save you $600 per year. In addition, your own meals will often have less fat and carbohydrates making you leaner and healthier.

Cut Your Grocery Bill. When shopping for food, reduce expenses by purchasing generic or store brands. Also plan your meals in advance so you know exactly what you need to buy at the store. Make as many of your meals as you can. Prepared meals like TV dinners will often cost you more than a meal made from scratch. Use coupons where you can, but watch those prices carefully. Even with a coupon, some name brand foods are still more expensive than the store brand alternatives. Finally, don't give in to impulse shopping. If it's not your list, don't buy it.

Sell a Car. If you have two cars, especially if you have two car payments, consider selling one car. This may be a sacrifice, but if you can coordinate your schedules and use public transportation, you can save hundreds of dollars a month in loan payments, gas, and auto maintenance fees. In many cities, commuting to work can cost half as much as a car payment. And in many places like Washington DC, you can take advantage of free alternatives such as carpooling or slugging.

Cut Up Credit Cards. Most people really only need one credit card. It makes sense to have and use one if used responsibly. Save the one that provides you the most benefits and costs the least, and cut up the others. Fewer cards will present less of a temptation to spend.

Make Do With What You Have. Do you feel like buying a new outfit? Try using your current clothes longer. Is your computer getting slower? Rather than buy a new one, consider adding more memory or cleaning it up with free antivirus and spyware tools. A low-cost solution could save you $1,000 or more on a new computer. Do you want a big new plasma TV? Hold off purchasing one another year if your current television works just fine. Many of our seniors remember the phrase, “Use it up; where it out; make it do; or do without.”

Cut iPod Costs. This counts for any of the new devices like MP3 players, Blackberries, etc. Do you really need them? For some, you may be paying monthly fees to download music, send messages, or access the network. Even if there aren't monthly fees, don't buy music. Buying ten songs a month can cost you an extra $10. If you have an iPod or other MP3 player, there are many free things to list to. Your public library may have free audiobooks you can check out. You can also find free songs at places like LDS.org (http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/). Many websites also have free podcasts.

Stop Buying Books and Newspapers. You can check out the latest books for free at your public library. Never buy a book again. Buying one hardcover book a month can cost you $250 per year or more. Stop paying for a newspaper, especially if you have Internet access. You can get a wide variety of local and national news on a host of websites like CNN.com, FOXNEWS.com, and Google News.

Pay Tithing. If you're a person of faith, pay tithing. This may seem counterintuitive, but paying tithing may help you eliminate debt in the long run. First, you can you often deduct the donation. Second, paying tithing helps you to learn to sacrifice—a key to reducing debt. Third, great promises are made to those who pay tithing. Malachi 3:10 reads, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Many faithful tithe payers have found great financial blessings come to them in unexpected ways.

Conduct a Spending Inventory. There are so many other ways to cut your monthly spending. Take an inventory of everything you spend by recording all your expenses for one month. Review your expenses; you may be surprised where your money is going. Decide where you can cut back. Also do research to find less expensive alternatives to your current essentials expenditures. Some hard work can result in big savings.

Make a Plan. Set some goals and create a budget. If you've done your homework, you'll see how much you can save each month. Set a goal to limit your expenditures to those essentials you've identified and to reduce costs by through alternatives. Decide to live within your means and set aside a certain amount of money each month for savings or investments. Finally, commit to paying off your debts as soon as possible starting with those that charge the highest interest.

The benefit of becoming free from debt is greater than the savings in interest. You will have learned to enjoy life on a smaller budget, your future will become more secure, and you may be healthier and enjoy better relationships with your family.

The Source of Charity, the Perfect Love of Christ

2007-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

More than anything else in this world of war and sorrow, we need charity, the pure love of Christ. Mormon teaches us how we can be filled with this love, and through the downfall of the Nephite nation, we can see the consequences of losing this love. From that story, it's easy to see parallels in the world today. But there is also hope that man can change and be filled with the charity toward one another.

The key to experiencing the pure love of Christ is the Holy Ghost. In an epistle to his son Moroni, Mormon writes, "And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer..." (Moroni 8:26). Therefore, the key to feeling the love of Christ is to do that which will permit the Holy Ghost to dwell in our hearts. This can take place as Mormon explained, through repentance and a remission of sins and through a meekness and lowliness of heart or humility.

Prayer can also invite the Holy Spirit to be with us. Mormon teaches that we can pray to be filled with the pure love of Christ. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ..." (Moroni 7:48).

If the visitation of the Holy Ghost will fill us with love, then driving away the Holy Ghost will cause that love to depart as well. The story of the Nephites' downfall demonstrates this principle. Mormon describes for his son what he sees happening to the Nephites as they deny the Holy Ghost. He writes, "I fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them; and in this part of the land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 8:28).

Without the Holy Ghost, the Nephites are no longer filled with the love of Christ. The resulting void is filled with anger. Mormon tells his son that the Nephites "do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another" (Moroni 9:3). Worse, because "the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them" (Moroni 9:4), "they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually" (Moroni 9:5).

Looking at terrorism in the world today, we can understand why the prophecy is being fulfilled that in the last days "the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). With so much wickedness driving the Holy Ghost out of the hearts of men, they are being filled with anger and hatred. Terrorists do not fear death and even "thirst after blood and revenge continually."

What can we do? Share the gospel which leads to a mighty change of heart. Alma the Younger teaches of people who received the gospel and experienced this change of heart, and as a result, they "humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end..." (Alma 5:13). That humility, trust in God, and faithfulness will bring the Holy Ghost into the hearts of men. Pray that doors will open around the world for the preaching of the gospel. And wherever you are, set an example of righteous living and share your testimonies that Spirit can work on those around you and lead to their hearts being filled with the pure love of Christ.

Obscure Book of Mormon References

2007-02-04T10:10:00.001-08:00

I love the Book of Mormon. I know it's God's word and that it was written for me and for our day. I also love it because it's so varied in its stories and so rich in its detail. Having read the Book of Mormon cover to cover at least 20 times, I've repeatedly run across many interesting references to events, people, and other curious details that raise more questions than they answer. In some instances, these obscure references help testify of the divine role of our Savior and our need to have faith in him. In others, they just leave me scratching my head.

Mostly for the sake of entertainment, I list some of these obscure references here. I'm not looking for answers or trying to prove the Book of Mormon true. I do hope that these interesting tidbits will lead some individuals to read the Book of Mormon more, even if it's just to explore its dustier nooks and crannies.

The Brother of Jared Moved the Mountain Zerin by Faith

Ether 12:30:
30 For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith.

This seems like a rather significant event of “Biblical proportions” like that of Moses parting the Red Sea, yet its only mention in the Book of Mormon is this obscure reference.

Aminadi Interpreted the Writing on the Temple Wall and Written by the Finger of God

Alma 10:2-3:
2 I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God.
3 And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren. With regards to the Brother of Jared moving a mountain, at least he was mentioned prominently elsewhere in the Book of Mormon. In this reference we have two obscure elements: the man and the event.

Cureloms and Cumoms

Ether 9:19:
"And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms."

Orson Pratt identified cureloms as mammoths, but we have no record of a Church leader explaining what a cumom may have been. According to the Wikipedia entry for cureloms, some Church members have speculated the cumoms may have been an alpaca, llama, or some other animal.

Emer

Ether 9:16, 21-22 (14-23):
16 And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich—
21 And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters; and he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead.
22 And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived four years, and he saw peace in the land; yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in peace.

Emer is probably the least known of all the Book of Mormon personalities who were privileged to see the Savior. Interestingly, another of our obscure references—the cureloms and cumoms—are mentioned during Emer's reign.

The Prophets Zenock, Neum, and Zenos

1 Nephi 19:10:
10 And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.

These prophets are quoted for their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Zenock and Zenos are quoted elsewhere in the Book of Mormon by other prophets (see Jacob 5:1, Jacob 6:1, Alma 33:15, Alma 34:7, Helaman 8:19-20, Helaman 15:11, 3 Nephi 10:16). Neum shows up only in this verse. Who were these men? The footnote for Zenock refers readers to the Bible Dictionary entry for “Lost Books.”

Ziff

Mosiah 11:3:
3 And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.

The wicked King Noah laid a heavy tax on his people of one-fifth of their valuable metals including ziff. The footnote indicates “HEB related words: adjective, “shining” verb, “to overlay or plate with metal.”

Neas and Sheum

Mosiah 9:9:
9 And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.

After Zeniff a small group of Nephites to repossess the land of Lehi-Nephi, they planted many different fruits and grains including neas and sheum. The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) reports, “As it turns out sheum is a perfectly good Akkadian (ancient northern Mesopotamian) name for a grain dating to the third millennium B.C.” At a Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) symposium, one botany professor indicated neas and sheum were “perhaps grains but possibly tuber crops.” An archaeobotanist concluded that these foods “were most likely native crops new to Lehi's people.”

Conclusion

There isn't really a conclusion since this blog entry is more a fun diversion than it is a discussion on a serious gospel topic. However, it's safe to say that many of these obscure references are like other mysteries like the nature of the dinosaurs. We may have to wait until the Millennium to know the truth.

Is BYU Football A Waste of Tithing?

2007-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

In recent years, particularly after the huge new indoor practice facility was funded and built, I've heard some people question the legitimacy of spending so much money on sports at Brigham Young University. As is evident from the name of my blog, I'm a huge fan of BYU sports, especially football and basketball. I believe that the funds spent on BYU sports are not wasted.

Let me first state that I don't know whether tithing monies are used to support BYU sports. I know that a lot of people have donated money to build the Indoor Practice Facility, Larry H. Miller Field, and other facilities. I also know that the sports programs raise money through ticket sales, advertising, and concessions, and I know that companies like Nike may help supply uniforms. I don't know whether the sports programs pay for themselves. If they don't (and the point of this post is not to debate the profitability of the various mens and womens programs), I don't know whether tithing funds are used to make up the difference in revenues and expenses.

For the purpose of this post, let's assume that some tithing funds are used to support BYU sports. If you disagree (and you may be right), then at least we can agree some people donate huge amounts of money which arguably could be spent on more humanitarian or gospel-related projects.

Given those assumptions, I still believe that the money spent on BYU sports is well-spent for many reasons. In my mind, the primary reason is that BYU's sports programs, especially football, are an indispensable missionary tool which reaches many people other missionary programs are less likely to reach. Take this recent article on the San Francisco Chronicle website, for example. The author talked to the well-known Reverend Jerry Falwell. They talked about football. Reverend Falwell said, "My respect for Catholicism and Mormonism goes straight up watching Notre Dame and Brigham Young play." Sure, I don't think BYU football will convert Jerry Falwell, but it shows what a positive effect BYU sports can have on people who probably wouldn't listen to the missionaries.

We are aware of the many players who came to BYU from various backgrounds and later joined the Church. Many are now serving as member missionaries in various parts of the world.

Other former BYU players and coaches now at the professional level also continue to spread goodwill about the Church in countless ways. Take a look, for example, at this Philadelphia NBC 10 story by Vai Sikahema about Andy Reid, both Church members who were formerly involved with BYU football.

Funds spent on BYU sports also help to reach countless youth, members and non-members alike, in a positive manner. So many LDS young men and women are involved in high school sports and want to continue on at the collegiate level. Others want to attend a university where they can be involved in different ways from the marching band and cheerleading to rabid fan and supporter. Without strong programs, many of these students would go elsewhere and participate in programs that are not as tolerant of missions nor as strong in upholding the values we believe in.

Whether or not tithing is used to support BYU football and other sports, I believe the money spent on BYU's sports programs is worth it. These programs play a significant role in the missionary efforts of the Church and its progress.

NEW! Web Polls at Blogger of Jared

2007-01-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a short note to promote a new feature at the Blogger of Jared (BoJ) where I'm an occasional blogger:

BoJ has added web polls!

I expect them to be a fun, light-hearted way to gauge popular opinion on issues relevant to the greater LDS audience. For those of you who enjoy the regular polls at CougarFan.com, I hope you enjoy these too.

Be sure to visit BoJ, bookmark the blog, and visit often!

Persuasion or Flattery

2007-01-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

In our premortal existence, two plans were presented to us. Each would lead us back to our Heavenly Father. Both were championed by great leaders, and each had a great number of followers. The primary difference, however, hinged on agency.

Our Father's plan, proposed by Jesus Christ, presented God's children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. Prophets, angels, and Christ himself would come to the earth to teach men the plan of salvation and to persuade them to follow that plan. Ultimately, however, whether they enjoyed eternal life was their choice. The Lord would not compel them to follow him.

Contrary to God's plan, Lucifer would take away man's agency. All would be saved regardless of their wishes.

Our Father's plan was implemented.

Satan, as Lucifer would later be known, rebelled and was cast down to the earth with his legion of followers. On the earth, he still wanted to take away the agency of men. Satan and his angels still seek today to compel men to follow him to eternal damnation by taking away their agency.

Satan does not respect agency; rather, he seeks to destroy it. Where Jesus persuades, encourages, and exhorts all men to follow him, Satan seeks to deceive us into following him through flattery, cunning, promises of worldly power, and appeals to the natural man.

The scriptures teach us about persuasion on the one hand and flattery on the other, and they give us many examples of each. A careful look at these teachings and examples shows that righteous persuasion respects and supports our agency. In contrast, Satan's use of flattery is designed to bring us into bondage. Like many of Satan's tools of evil, his use of flattery is a counterfeit to the Lord's use of persuasion and invitation to do good.

Let's begin by reviewing what both the Lord and Satan are trying to accomplish among the children of men. The Lord's work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). To succeed in this quest, the Lord has sent prophets to preach the gospel, “that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved” (Ether 8:26). Nephi was commanded to record his words because they “speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal” (2 Nephi 33:4).

Contrary to the Savior's plan, Satan wishes to bring eternal damnation to all of God's children. Satan's goal is lead us away through temptation to overpower us that we may “become his subjects at the last day” (Alma 34:39). Remember the scripture mastery verse in Alma 30:60, “And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.”

Compare and contrast the ways Jesus and Satan seek to motivate people. Let's look at several examples beginning with Satan.

Satan

Appealing to the natural man and his pride and promising worldly power, Satan uses flattery to lead men to do evil. It's part of his plan to use cunning and deceit.

Sherem, the anti-Christ, “preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ” (Jacob 7:2).
When Paanchi failed in his bid to win the judgment seat, he “was exceedingly wroth; therefore, he was about to flatter away [his supporters] to rise up in rebellion...to destroy the liberty of the people” (Helaman 1:7-8).
Alma the Younger “was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities” (Mosiah 27:8).
The people of Morianton were “inspired by his wickedness and his flattering words” in their unjust battle against their neighbors (Alma 50:35).
Gadianton, the great robber, “did flatter [his band], and also Kishkumen, that if they would place him in the judgment-seat he would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in power and authority among the people” (Helaman 2:5).
Jared (not the Jared who crossed the ocean) “did flatter many people, because of his cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom” (Ether 8:2).
The daughter of Jared used flattery and an appeal to wickedness to persuade Akish to kill the king: “I am fair, and I will dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife; wherefore if he shall desire of thee that ye shall give unto him me to wife, then shall ye say: I will give her if ye will bring unto me the ahead of my father, the king.” (Ether 8:10)
Akish then administered secret combinations “unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired” (Ether 8:17)
Finally, notice how Giddianhi, the leader of the robbers, uses flattering words to persuade Lachoneus, the governor of the land, to surrender and join the robbers: “Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so.” (3 Nephi 3:2)


Satan's ultimate goal in the use of flattery and cunning is to lead us into bondage. “And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men” (Alma 28:13). Remember Satan's efforts with the people who built the Tower of Babel. He “spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell” (Helaman 6:28). His plan today is the same as it was in the premortal life when he proposed a plan without agency.

Jesus Christ

While Satan wishes to bring us into bondage by getting “hold upon the hearts of the children of men” (Helaman 6:30), Jesus Christ wants shows us that if we choose to follow him and his prophets, we will experience “a mighty change” in our hearts which will lead to a “hope for salvation” and our “being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell” (Alma 5:10, 13). The Lord does not use flattery or cunning to trick us into following him. Rather, he seeks our discipleship through persuasion that respects and upholds our agency eternally and by inviting and exhorting us to follow him in righteous doing.

The Spirit “persuadeth men to do good” (Ether 4:11).
“Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of [Christ]” (Ether 4:12).
Men are “persuaded to do good continually” (Ether 8:26).
Nephi wrote, “the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto [my people]; for it persuadeth them to do good...; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.” (2 Nephi 33:4)
Mormon wrote, “that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” (Moroni 7:13), and he confirms that the Lord uses persuasion: “every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ” (Moroni 7:16).
Jarom described the process the prophets, priests, and teachers used to encourage people to choose the right this way: “Wherefore, [they] did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.” (Jarom 1:11)
Moroni used exhortation to encourage all readers of the Book of Mormon to believe him and follow his guidance. In the final chapter of Moroni, he used the word “exhort” or a form of it nine times including verse 4: “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.” (Moroni 10:4)


The battle for the eternal souls of men which began in our premortal existence continues in mortality today. We can beware the efforts of Satan by knowing that he seeks our eternal damnation through deception. Flattery is one of his primary tools to get us to do evil. “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (3 Nephi 18:18)

Symbolism of the Sacrament: The Blood of Christ

2006-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

(Doctrine & Covenants 20:79, italics added)

Some time ago as I sat during the sacrament pondering the words of the blessing on the water, I wondered about the meaning of Christ's blood. Because I was taking the water “in remembrance of the blood” of Jesus Christ, I decided I needed to study its symbolism more.

Certainly, the blood of Jesus Christ has far more spiritual meaning and relevance than I can relate in a blog entry let alone discover in a lifetime. But my study did lead me to a better understanding of two related doctrines which always confused me: justification and sanctification.

Justification by Blood

According to Paul, we are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9). As a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder D. Todd Christofferson wrote of justification in the June 2001 Ensign:

Because of “the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice,” Jesus Christ can satisfy or “answer the ends of the law” on our behalf. Pardon comes by the grace of Him who has satisfied the demands of justice by His own suffering, “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). He removes our condemnation without removing the law. We are pardoned and placed in a condition of righteousness with Him. We become, like Him, without sin. We are sustained and protected by the law, by justice. We are, in a word, justified. (italics in the original)

In other words, we are no longer condemned by the law because we have been set free or justified by the blood of Jesus Christ who suffered himself to pay the penalties demanded by justice. President Harold B. Lee said, "Justify means to pronounce free from guilt or blame, or to absolve" (Stand Ye in Holy Places, 52-53). According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek meaning of “justification” as used in Romans 4:25 and 5:18 is “the act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to him.”

Another word which describes this process of justification is remission. In D&C 27:2, the Lord said

For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.

The Lord taught this principle of remission to his apostles while giving them the sacrament. He said, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek definition of remission is “forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty.”

So by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are justified. In other words, his blood was shed for the remission of our sins.

Sanctification With Christ's Blood

By the Savior's blood are we also sanctified. In his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul wrote, “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).

Defining sanctification, Elder Christofferson wrote, “To be sanctified through the blood of Christ is to become clean, pure, and holy (D. Todd Christofferson, “Justification and Sanctification,” Ensign, Jun 2001, 18). Strong's Concordance confirms the definition of sanctification as used in the New Testament as “consecration, purification.” Note the way Peter uses the term sanctification in 1 Peter 1:1-2:

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

According to Strong's Concordance, an alternative to the term sprinkling is purification. When read with purification in place of sprinkling, this verse makes it clear that sanctification through the blood of Christ leads to purification.

In addition to purification, Elder Christofferson likened sanctification through the blood of Christ to becoming clean. Alma did the same:

[T]here can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.

(Alma 5:21)

John the Apostle also indicates the eternal importance of the cleansing power of Christ's blood:

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

(Revelation 1:5-6)

In summary, let me share my understanding of the relationship between sanctification and justification. Our sins cause two problems which doom us. The first is that by committing sin, we violate laws; as a result, justice requires a penalty. However, through justification, Christ pays that penalty and we are pardoned. The second problem is that our sins make us filthy, and no unclean thing can enter into God's presence. So even if we are pardoned through justification, we are still filthy. But through sanctification, we can be purified until we are “cleansed from all stain” and can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Most importantly, this justification and sanctification come about by the blood of Jesus Christ.

What is The Real Spirit of Christmas?

2006-11-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, we should take a moment individually and with our families to ponder the true meaning of Christmas. To help me understand the real Christmas spirit, I searched the words of the prophets and other Church leaders. I found, of course, that the Christmas spirit is none other than the Christ-like desire to love and serve others. This is no surprise. The quotes below help us to understand how Jesus Christ exemplified the real spirit of Christmas.

Some Church leaders are remembered for speaking about certain themes. For example, President Ezra Taft Benson is known for speaking about the Constitution, warning of pride, and counseling to read the Book of Mormon. Elder M. Russell Ballard frequently encourages missionary work. Interestingly, the individual who most often spoke of the real spirit of Chrismas was President Thomas S. Monson. I found several talks by this great man reminding us to look to Christ to understand the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.

Thinking back on all the talks I've heard President Monson give, I recall the main thread running through them is his Christ-like love for people. How many stories has he told through the years about promptings to visit someone: A lonely and widowed sister, a former ward member in the hospital, an old acquaintence who had left the Church? Without a doubt, President Monson's life is an example of the real spirit of Christmas lived every day of the year.

May we all take a few moments to rediscover the Christmas spirit and recommit ourselves at the New Year to pray for it and live it daily. May our eyes be single to the glory of the Master whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

(bold added)

______________________________

The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master. I continue with what the writer defines as the real spirit of Christmas:

'It is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground--to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts--to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness, and go your way unobserved. [Clarence Baird, "The Spirit of Christmas," Improvement Era, 23:154 (December 1919)]'

(Howard W. Hunter, at Brigham Young University on 5 December 1972)

______________________________

“Why does peace come closer to reality at this season than at any other?” President Monson asked. “Why is it that more friends are remembered and more enemies forgiven at the Christmas season than at any other time? Why is it that more acts of kindness and service and generosity take place? It is the Christmas spirit.”

(“First Presidency Encourages Members to Emulate Christ and His Teachings,” Ensign, Feb. 2006, 72–73)

______________________________

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.

(Thomas S. Monson, “Christmas Gifts, Christmas Blessings,” Ensign, Dec 1995, 2)

______________________________

Temple Square in Salt Lake City is known throughout the world. It is particularly attractive at Christmastime, with its thousands of twinkling lights, traditional nativity scene, carolers singing those songs so dear to us all, and, of course, the lighted statue of the Christus, which seems to say to the world, “The spirit of Christmas is indeed the Christ spirit.”

(Thomas S. Monson, “In Search of the Christmas Spirit,” Ensign, Dec 1987, 3)

______________________________

As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always. We shall learn to forget ourselves. We shall turn our thoughts to the greater benefit of others.

(Thomas S. Monson, “In Search of the Christmas Spirit,” Ensign, Dec 1987, 3)

______________________________

President David O. McKay said: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.

“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.” (Gospel Ideals (1953), 551)

(Thomas S. Monson, “What Is Christmas?,” Ensign, Dec 1998, 2)

______________________________

What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He “went about doing good.” (Acts 10:38) As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours.

(Thomas S. Monson, “What Is Christmas?,” Ensign, Dec 1998, 2)

______________________________

One who had a keen insight into the Christmas spirit wrote:

“I am the Christmas Spirit. I enter the home of poverty and cause palefaced children to open wide their eyes in pleased wonder. I cause the miser to release his clutched hand, thus painting a bright spot upon his soul.

“I cause the aged to remember their youth and to laugh in the glad old way. I bring romance to childhood and brighten dreams woven with magic.

“I cause eager feet to climb dark stairways with filled baskets, leaving behind hearts amazed at the goodness of the world.

“I cause the prodigal to pause in his wild and wasteful way and send to anxious love some little token which releases glad tears, washing away the hard lines of sorrow.

“I enter dark prison cells, causing scarred manhood to remember what might have been and pointing to better days yet to come.

“I enter the still white home of pain, and there lips that are too weak to speak just tremble in silent, eloquent gratitude.

“In a thousand ways I cause this weary old world to look up into the face of God and for a few moments forget everything that is small and wretched. You see, I am the Christmas Spirit.” (Author unknown.)

(Thomas S. Monson, “The Spirit of Christmas,” New Era, Dec 1974, 15)

______________________________

President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “This is a glorious time of the year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit. … This joyful season brings to each of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas.”

Since the time of the wise men, President Monson said, “the spirit of giving gifts has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season. Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son, Jesus Christ. That precious Son gave to us His life, the Atonement, and victory over the grave.”

After giving four descriptions of Christmas—“Christmas is children,” “Christmas is remembering,” “Christmas is giving,” and “Christmas is prophecy fulfilled”—President Monson asked, “What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He ‘went about doing good’ [Acts 10:38]. As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours.”

(“First Presidency Shares Meaning of Christmas,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 72)

______________________________

When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit.

(Thomas S. Monson, “The Gifts of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 2003, 2–5)

______________________________

The supreme gift of eternal life should be remembered during this season of gift giving, urged President Thomas S. Monson during the annual First Presidency Devotional held December 6.... “The real spirit of Christmas lies in His assurance: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.’ (John 11:25–26.)”

(“Remember Supreme Gift, First Presidency Urges,” Ensign, Feb. 1993, 71)

Constant Negativity Hurts the Cause of World Peace

2006-11-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

What ever happened to that principle our mothers used to teach, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"? Ok, I'll admit that there are times we must stand up for what is right which sometimes requires calling attention to what is wrong. However, that exception should not give us leave to constantly criticize. I'm speaking specifically of our self-criticism and in-fighting as a nation.

It seems in recent years that political players and pundits have completely abandoned self-restraint in the criticism of their opponents and even now refuse to say a kind word about them or the state of the nation. In this age of ubiquitous communications, the constant barrage of criticism is not only seen by politicians' constituents or pundits' audiences, it's also seen by the whole world. The effect of this critical communication is to cause the world to believe we are evil despite the good we stand for as a nation (individual exceptions notwithstanding!). The real battle is not in the deserts of the Middle East. It's in the hearts and minds of all people everywhere. As a result of our constant criticism, we have become our own worst enemies.

Sadly, our inward-targeted negativity is reinforcing the efforts of terrorists worldwide to make the United States appear evil. The hearts of so many have grown cold toward the best hope in the world for peace and prosperity. How ironic it is that while the vast majority of Americans want all people to enjoy the peace that self-governance (with proper self-control) brings, so many of us are contributing to the loss of freedom worldwide by criticizing our government and by failing to extol the good that sprouts from the fertile soil of American democracy every day.

We must ask ourselves the motive for our criticism. Some negativity is just and even helpful to the cause of peace. For example, I applaud those who have discovered and investigated the corruption of Jack Abramoff and the politicians who knowingly accepted bribes from him. Openly exposing this criminal activity shows the world that the United States has values and will not stand for corrupt practices. However, if the motive for criticism is to gain power, then the negativity will serve other purposes and may come back to haunt America.

We must hold ourselves accountable for the damage we are doing to the cause of world peace. The world is watching. If we blame our leaders for everything that goes wrong, like Pavlov's dog, the world will begin to blame the United States for the world's ills. Other nations and peoples will begin to mistrust America, it's best ally. At the same time, because we refuse to tout the good conditions we enjoy and the positive accomplishments in the world for fear this may benefit a political opponent, the world doesn't see what great things American can do for them.

Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk at Brigham Young University on March 28, 1976 while he was the President of the Council of the Twelve. In it he talked about the ills of constant negativity and the price people would have to pay for it. It's interesting to see how this principle applies today, 30 years later. Here is an excerpt from that talk:
_________________

Today we are almost engulfed by this tide of self-criticism, depreciation, and defamation of those who served our country honorably and with distinction. A most recent victim of the tarnish brush is J. Edgar Hoover. I knew J. Edgar Hoover personally over many years. He was a God-fearing man and one of the most honorable and able men I have ever known in government service. By innuendo, lesser men, whose own motives are questionable, have maligned his motives and good character.

I know the philosophy behind this practice--"to tell it as it is." All too often those who subscribe to this philosophy are not hampered by too many facts. When will we awaken to the fact that the defamation of our dead heroes only serves to undermine faith in the principles for which they stood, and the institutions which they established? Some have termed this practice as "historical realism" or moderately call it "debunking." I call it slander and defamation. I repeat, those who are guilty of it in their writing or teaching will answer to a higher tribunal.

It should not, therefore, cause us to be astonished when other nations view the United States as a "faltering democracy." How long would a basketball team, ranked number one in the polls, remain in that position if the studentbody, the school paper, and supporting faculty constantly pointed out its weaknesses? Soon the team would begin to lack confidence and fail. This is what we have been doing in our blessed country. Our heroes and institutions have been tarnished. We are constantly being reminded of what is wrong in our country, via the press and other media. A recent editorial in the London Daily Telegraph appealed to us:

The United States should know that her European cousins and allies are appalled and disgusted at the present open disarray of her public life. The self-criticism and self-destructive tendencies are running mad with no countervailing force in sight. . . . Please America, for God's sake, pull yourself together.

It is the job of the historian and educator and church leader to help us as a nation to "pull ourselves together," to help us regain perspective and vision and the respect of all nations. This will not be done by showing that this is merely a phase through which we are passing. No, it will be done by men who possess a love of country, a vision of our country's future, and the assurance of her divinely guided destiny.
_________________

It all goes back to what our mothers taught. Certainly they were wise. The 1st Amendment may protect free speech, but it doesn't guard against the consequences of misusing that right. Perhaps our mothers knew something about consequences.

Jesus Christ, The Light of the World

2006-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

What does this mean? What does this symbolism teach us of Jesus Christ and his mission? Here are some thoughts that may serve as a starting point for further personal study on this topic.

Light draws us as a beacon

“Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me...” (3 Nephi 15:9). Light acts as a beacon. It draws out attention to it because it stands out. President Hinckley said, “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must be a beacon light before you, a polar star in your sky” (Ensign, May 2004). Elder Robert D. Hales said, “When we are one with God, we walk with spiritual light. This is a spiritual light that protects us and serves as a beacon, guiding us in righteous ways” (Ensign, May 1996).

As a light, Jesus is our example

When Jesus called twelve disciples in the new world, he told them “Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people...” (3 Nephi 15:12). The footnote entry for “light” refers readers to the Topical Guide entries for Example and Leadership. Just as the newly called disciples were to serve as an example to the people in the American continent, so then was Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, so be our great Exemplar. He stated, “Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you” (3 Nephi 18:16). Remember this counsel with our own light: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

Light leads us along the right path

Just as a lamp can show us the right way through darkness, Jesus Christ is the Light that will lead us to eternal life. Speaking Messianically, Isaiah writes, “I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them...” (Isaiah 42:16).

Light drives out darkness

President Joseph F. Smith said, “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life.” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263; italics added). If our eye be single to the glory of God, we will be filled with light (see Luke 11:34) and the darkness within us will flee. If we liken darkness to sin, then we understand that Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, can cleanse us from all sin. Our garments can be made white through the blood of him who atoned for our sins (Alma 5:21).

Light warns us of danger

Light also acts as a warning like a lighthouse to ships at sea. Christ “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness...” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Elder Robert D. Hales spoke of these dangers, “Growing up on Long Island, in New York, I understood how vital light was to those traveling in the darkness on the open sea. How dangerous is a fallen lighthouse! How devastating is a lighthouse whose light has failed!” (Ensign, May 2002).

Why Does God Permit Suffering?

2006-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Reasons Why The Lord Allows Suffering

1. Suffering can be the result of sin.

Much of the pain we suffer and inevitably impose upon others is self-induced through our own bad judgment, through poor choices. And for that, help is offered. To the penitent sinner comes the assurance that God will forgive, forget, and never mention our sins of which we have truly repented.
Marion D. Hanks, “A Loving, Communicating God,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 63

When suffering comes as a consequence of sin, it should lead to repentance.

Robert D. Hales, “Your Sorrow Shall Be Turned to Joy,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 65

Where there has been sin, there must be suffering.... All of our personal experience confirms the fact that we must endure personal suffering in the process of repentance—and for serious transgressions, that suffering can be severe and prolonged.

Dallin H. Oaks, “Sin and Suffering,” Ensign, July 1992, 70

2. Because the Lord has given us agency, he allows people to make evil choices that can affect others.

To preserve free agency, the Lord also at times permits the righteous to suffer the consequences of evil acts by others. (See 1 Ne. 18:16.)
Ronald E. Poelman, “Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality,” Ensign, May 1989, 23

And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames. But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.

Alma 14:10-11

3. We chose to come to the earth knowing that we would suffer adversity.

The plan of salvation presented to and accepted by us in our premortal state includes a probationary period on earth, during which we experience opposites, make choices, learn the consequences thereof, and prepare to return to the presence of God. Experiencing adversity is an essential part of the process. Knowing this, we elected to come into mortality. (See 2 Ne. 2:11–16.)
Ronald E. Poelman, “Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality,” Ensign, May 1989, 23

This does not mean that we crave suffering. We avoid all we can. However, we now know, and we all knew when we elected to come into mortality, that we would here be proved in the crucible of adversity and affliction.…

Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p. 57

We came to mortal life to encounter resistance. It was part of the plan for our eternal progress. Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy.
Howard W. Hunter, “God Will Have a Tried People,” Ensign, May 1980, 25

4. Suffering prepares us, builds us, and helps us to grow.

The revelations, for which we are grateful, show that we should even give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our hearts to God and give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become.
Dallin H. Oaks, “Give Thanks in All Things,” Ensign, May 2003, 95

Suffering can take us one of two ways. It can be a strengthening and purifying experience combined with faith, or it can be a destructive force in our lives if we do not have the faith in the Lord’s atoning sacrifice. The purpose of suffering, however, is to build and strengthen us. We learn obedience by the things we suffer. We should be humbled and drawn to the Lord, as in the case of the prodigal son who appreciated his home only after going into the world and experiencing sorrow when he shut out his loved ones.
Robert D. Hales, “Your Sorrow Shall Be Turned to Joy,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 65

Being childlike and submitting to our Father’s will is not always easy. President Spencer W. Kimball, who knew a good deal about suffering, disappointment, and circumstances beyond his control, once wrote: “Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972, p. 98).
Howard W. Hunter, “The Opening and Closing of Doors,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 54

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.
Orson F. Whitney as quoted in Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 98

Difficulties can be a valuable tool in our pursuit for perfection. Adversity need have no necessary connection with failure. Proper self-management and self-discipline in all of our trials brings strength.
Marvin J. Ashton, “Adversity and You,” Ensign, Nov. 1980, 54

5. Suffering helps us to remember God.

Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God. Nephi was told that the natural enemies of his descendants would be “a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me” (2 Ne. 5:25).
Dallin H. Oaks, “Adversity,” Ensign, July 1998, 7

Each of us is the spiritual offspring of God. We came to this earth to prepare to return to his presence, there to share a fulness—that is, eternal life. Without adversity, we may tend to forget the divine purpose of mortality and live our lives focused on the transitory things of the world.
Ronald E. Poelman, “Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality,” Ensign, May 1989, 23

6. Suffering can strengthen our faith in the Lord and help us understand his suffering.

But if our sorrow and suffering strengthen our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, “[our] sorrow shall be turned to joy.” (John 16:20.)
Robert D. Hales, “Your Sorrow Shall Be Turned to Joy,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 65

As we are called upon to endure suffering, sometimes inflicted upon us intentionally or negligently, we are put in a unique position—if we choose, we may be allowed to have new awareness of the suffering of the Son of God. While Alma tells us that Christ suffered all that any of us will ever have to suffer that He might know how to succor us, the reverse may also be true: that our suffering may allow us insight into the depth and magnitude of His atoning sacrifice.
Keith R. Edwards, “That They Might Know Thee,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 99

7. Suffering will be a blessing to us.

…Paul teaches “that all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Rom. 8:28.) Similarly, the prophet Lehi assured his son Jacob with these words: “Jacob, … in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow because of [others]. “Nevertheless, … thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” (2 Ne. 2:1–2.)
Ronald E. Poelman, “Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality,” Ensign, May 1989, 23

Similarly, if we face up to our individual adversities or hardships, they can become a source of blessing. God will not give us adversities we cannot handle, and he will bless us richly for patiently doing the best we can in the circumstances.
Dallin H. Oaks, “Adversity,” Ensign, July 1998, 7

8. Suffering tests our faith in God.

Oh, there’s the suffering that tries and tests us. Job, a perfect man, was tested and tried by Satan. Job’s friends assumed his suffering was a result of sin, but the scriptures tell us he “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:22.)
Robert D. Hales, “Your Sorrow Shall Be Turned to Joy,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 65

Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
Mosiah 23:21

9. Jesus Christ, our great Example, suffered.

At the end, meek and lowly Jesus partook of the most bitter cup without becoming the least bitter. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; D&C 19:18–19.) The Most Innocent suffered the most.
Neal A. Maxwell, “Irony: The Crust on the Bread of Adversity,” Ensign, May 1989, 62

The Lord Can Strengthen Us To Endure

Thus the promise is that in times of sorrow and affliction, if we endure and remain faithful and put our trust in him and are courageous, the Lord will visit us in our afflictions, strengthen us to carry our burdens and support us in our trials. He’ll be with us to the end of our days, lift us at the last day to greater opportunities for service, and exalt us at last with him and reunited loved ones, and he will consecrate our afflictions to our gain.
Marion D. Hanks, “A Loving, Communicating God,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 63

Because the Savior suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind … [taking] upon him the pains and the sickness of his people … [taking] upon him their infirmities … [he knows] according to the flesh how to [help] his people according to their infirmities.” (Alma 7:11–12.)
Ronald E. Poelman, “Adversity and the Divine Purpose of Mortality,” Ensign, May 1989, 23

Emergency Preparedness websites

2006-11-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

The following websites provide some good basic emergency preparedness planning for families and individuals:

LDS Church

Provident Living: Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness
- Why Food Storage?
- What to Store
- How to Store
- Using Food Storage
- Gardening
- Emergency Preparation
- Find Resource Materials

Federal Government -- Basic Emergency Preparedness Planning

FEMA: Planning Ahead
- Get informed
- Plan for emergencies
- Assemble a disaster supplies kit

Red Cross: Prepare At Your Home
- Build a Disaster Supplies Kit
- Evacuation Plan
- Shelter in Place
- Emergency Contact Card
- Find out what could happen to you
- Make a plan
- Complete the checklist
- Practice your plan

Department of Homeland Security: Ready America
- Get A Kit
- Make A Plan
- Be Informed

Federal Government -- Additional Emergency Preparedness Planning

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Emergency Preparedness & Response

State and Local Government

(This is for Virginia, but other states, counties, and cities will likely have emergency preparedness websites)

Fairfax County: Guide to Emergency Preparedness

Virginia Department of Emergency Management: Prepare & Prevent
- Family Disaster Planning
- Disaster Supply Kits
- Prepare Your Home
- Special Needs
- Animal Safety Plan
- Emergency Alert System

Anti-Mormon Bigot on WorldNetDaily

2006-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Considering he's a senior pastor in one of the largest Christian congregations in America, Greg Laurie sure demonstrates a high degree of religious bigotry. It's interesting to see some people still consider the Church a cult.

Mr. Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, wrote a WorldNetDaily commentary entitled, "Signs of the times." In it, he lists six signs that Jesus Christ will return.

The first sign is "The explosion of religious deception." Notice how loose Mr. Laurie is with his logic and facts in citing the Church to support this statement: "For many years now, we have witnessed an explosion of cults." As an explosion describes a sudden, short-lived, immediate rise, it's curious he has to use a 176-old church to prove his point. More outrageous is his comparison of the LDS Church to groups like Jim Jones' followers and David Koresh's Branch Dividians. Not only does this bring his credibility and motives into question, but it also leads one to wonder whether he's a better example of the "emergence of false teachers" he writes about.

Finally, it's ironic that a Mr. Laurie identifies religious persecution as another sign. In support, he quotes Paul the Apostle, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). He got that right.

Stand Ye In Holy Places--Where?

2006-10-29T04:24:00.000-08:00

Stand ye in holy places,
and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come;
for behold, it cometh quickly
D&C 87:8

What are those “holy places”? Surely they include the temple and its covenants faithfully kept. Surely they include a home where children are treasured and parents are respected. Surely the holy places include our posts of duty assigned by priesthood authority, including missions and callings faithfully fulfilled in branches, wards, and stakes.

Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign, May 2004, 7

When we visit the temple as often as distance and individual circumstance permit, the temple will be in us. Then, despite the buffetings of life, we will always be in a holy place.

Lance B. Wickman, “Stand Ye in Holy Places,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 82

There are so many ways to keep the shielding seventh commandment firmly in place. Instructively, for instance, David’s fall, at least in part, was facilitated because he was not where duty lay: “It came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, … David tarried still at Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). Then, as you know, came the lustful view from the roof and all the sadness that followed. Implicit, therefore, in the instruction “Stand ye in holy places” is to avoid indulgent tarrying.

Neal A. Maxwell, “The Seventh Commandment: A Shield,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 78

Those ‘holy places’ are our temples, stakes, wards, and homes.

“A Prophet of Certitude: Counsel from President Ezra Taft Benson,” Ensign, July 1994, 28

When an earthquake strikes, every person would be taken as he is then living—if at a movie, or a tavern, or in a drunken stupor, or whatever. But the true servants of God, who would be doing their duty, would be protected and preserved, if they would do as the Lord has counseled: to “stand ye in holy places, and be not moved,” when these days should come.

Harold B. Lee, “Watch, That Ye May Be Ready,” Ensign, Dec. 1971, 28

As we recall the commandment to stand in holy places, we should remember that beyond the temple, the most sacred and holy places in all the world should be our own dwelling places. Our homes should be committed and dedicated only to holy purposes. In our homes all of the security, the strengthening love, and the sympathetic understanding that we all so desperately need should be found.

James E. Faust, “Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 2

Holy places include any places where we are living righteously, prepared to see his face, and accept him. Holy places include any place where we are associating with righteous and wholesome people or where we are sharing the gospel and our love with those who need it. It would especially include our sincere presence in a temple room performing sacred ordinances, worshiping in a sacrament meeting, or at home with our families or friends doing righteous things.

John K. Carmack, “Stand Ye In Holy Places,” LDS Business College Devotional Lecture, Nov. 13, 1996

Positive Church Coverage in the Local News

2006-10-28T06:32:00.001-07:00

It might be surprising to some members of the Church to see how much local press coverage the LDS Church receives. As the Church continues to grow in small communities outside of Utah, hometown newspapers are covering an increasing number of local ward and stake activities.

The good news is that most local press coverage tends to be positive, but keep in mind the message of Alma 4:10: "the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress." Good news can leave neighbors with a positive impression about the Church and help with missionary work because it reflects the values members live by. Bad news can destroy credibility in the community.

If the Church is respected in the local community, the press will publish positive stories like the following from the past 24 hours:

Island LDS Church bids farewell to stake president (New York)
Church Briefs (Arkansas)
Leader's death 'body blow' to Mormons in area (Alabama)
Religion briefs (Illinois)
Finding your place in history (Florida)
Pianist to bring music, testimony (Louisiana)
Is hard work good & godly? (Kansas)

Eisenhower on Terrorism

2006-10-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

I don't think President Eisenhower had terrorism in mind when he gave is farewell speech in 1961, but the following paragraphs from his speech could be spoken in the context of our current conflict with jihadi extremism:

"Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt both at home and abroad."

"Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology-global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle-with liberty at stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment."

Please don't take my post to mean we must support the President's current course in Iraq (in other words, I don't want critical comments on Bush). Rather, I'm making the point that the fight of free people against the tyranny of Muslim extremism is similar in some respects to the cold war fight against communism. Defeating terrorism may take decades of diligent and determined struggle. I believe that the real battle will be for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. If we can support moderate Muslims who also desire peace, just as the United States encouraged free-thinking peoples behind the iron curtain, we can win in time.

Of course, the best way to convince a person to support peace is for them to gain a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should pray that the Lord will open the Middle East to missionary work, and until that happens, we must do all we can to share the gospel with our friends and neighbors in free countries.

(To listen to Eisenhower's farewell speech, click here.)

YouTube, an Anti-Mormon Haven

2006-10-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Internet is an amazing tool for sharing the gospel, preparing talks and lessons, doing family history, and so much more. But like all good things, Satan tries to counterfeit them or use them for his own purposes.

YouTube is a great video sharing site. You can post your own videos for others to watch, and it's free. Unfortunately, many anti-Mormons and others antagonistic to the Church are using it.
For example, if you search for the term "Mormon," many videos turn up that don't show the Church in a good light at best. This includes videos showing or making light of sacred things.

As members, we need to use the Internet for good. If people search YouTube for videos about Mormons, we need to make sure good videos are available. If you have a digital camcorder, make short videos and upload them. You can shoot videos of many things like these:

- Mutual activities
- Skits, plays, talent shows, road shows
- Church history sites
- Temples (exterior!) and visitor centers
- Family activities
- Dances
- "Funniest Home Video" type videos
- Sporting events involving Church members

I'm not advocating censorship, but a chorus of uplifting voices can drown out a few bad ones.

My Favorite Movies (LDS-Friendly!)

2006-10-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a fun LDS-friendly movie to rent, I'd recommend these. The movies with asterisks are good enough to watch again and again.

All of the movies should be OK for teenagers and many for younger children, but you'll want to do more research before letting your kids watch if you're not sure. The movies are ordered alphabetically, and none are Rated-R. I listed my favorite Mormon movies separately.

If you have other favorites, please share!

LDS-ORIENTED

*The Best Two Years
The Other Side of Heaven
*Singles Ward

SCI-FI/FANTASY

*Back to the Future (all three)
*Independence Day (fabulous speech by the President)
Galaxy Quest
Hell Boy
*Lord of the Rings trilogy
Men in Black
Star Trek. My favorite in order:
- *The Wrath of Khan
- *Insurrection
- First Contact
- The Undiscovered Country (some of the best lines from any of the ST movies)
- The Voyage Home
*Star Wars (all six--my favorites: Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith)
X-Men (I and II -- haven't seen III yet)

ACTION/SUSPENSE/DRAMA

*Apollo 13
*Big Trouble in Little China
Cast Away
*First Knight
Forrest Gump
The Fugitive
*Hunt for Red October
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Man in the Iron Mask
Minority Report
*Mission Impossible
*National Treasure
Ocean's Eleven
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (haven't seen the next one yet)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rudy
School Ties
Sneakers
Swing Kids
Signs
The Sixth Sense
Superman
The Village

FAMILY

Beauty and the Beast
*The Emperor's New Groove
Freaky Friday (the remake with Jamie Lee Curtis)
Harry Potter (all of them)
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
*A Little Princess
*Mulan
Remember the Titans
Toy Story (both)

COMEDY

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Black Sheep
*A Christmas Story
Dave
Legally Blonde
*Maverick
*Napolean Dynamite
*National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
*The Princess Bride (great lines)
*The Private Eyes (one of my favorites)
Rush Hour
*The Scarlet Pimpernel (hilarious)
*Shanghai Noon
Tommy Boy
Zoolander

OLDIES BUT DEFINITELY GOODIES

*Casablanca (so that's where all the Bugs Bunny lines come from!)
North by Northwest
*Rear Window (exciting!)

Does the Gospel Require We Use Renewable Energy?

2006-10-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

I'm very conservative on many issues (e.g., low taxes and sanctity of life), but I prioritize one issue much higher than my fellow Republicans often do: Care for the environment. It frustrates me that we don't have a national goal to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil by developing renewable sources of energy (see what Scotland is doing, for example). To me, the most important reason for this goal is that it would dramatically reduce pollution. Of course, there are other reasons such as the importance of not sending our money to the Middle East, but that's for another discussion.

I think that the Gospel would require us to make every effort to use our stewardship--this earth--wisely and to not waste its resources or pollute it. I don't think we'll find much to support this in statements from Church leaders, but take a look at these Ensign articles:

G. Michael Alder, “Earth—A Gift of Gladness,” Ensign, July 1991, 27 (Note the discussion on global warming--that was 15 years ago)
A. B. Morrison, “Our Deteriorating Environment,” Ensign, Aug. 1971, 64
“Using Earth’s Resources Well,” Ensign, Sept. 1993, 54
Anne Billings, “Paul Cox—Preserving God’s Creations,” Liahona, Nov. 1998, 32

However, I have found some quotes:

"The leaders of the Church continually cry out against that which is intolerable in the sight of the Lord: against pollution of mind and body and our surroundings...." (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Lord Expects Righteousness,” Ensign, Nov. 1982, 4)
"We recommend to all people that there be no undue pollution, that the land be taken care of and kept clean to be productive and to be beautiful...." (Spencer W. Kimball, “Why Call Me Lord, Lord, and Do Not the Things Which I Say?” Ensign, May 1975, 4)

A related issue is global warming, but I'm tired of how political the discussion of global warming has become. Besides, whether global warming is happening or not, it seems clear to me that we need to pollute less and conserve more. Using renewable energies, both for generating electricity and for powering vehicles, is the way to do this.

So, does the Lord expect us to all be tree huggers? To a degree yes though not to excess. The Lord gave us this earth to use, but we must use it wisely and with gratitude as righteous stewards.

Sharing the Book of Mormon: A Cheat Sheet

2006-10-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

As the Ward Mission Leader, I'm trying to be a better example of member missionary work. While talking with a neighbor recently, I offered her the Book of Mormon, and she graciously accepted it. I didn't have a copy with me, but it worked out because I wanted to give her a list of verses with the book. Here's the scripture list I came up with. I'd love to see what other verses you recommend.

Overview of the Book of Mormon and Its Origin
The Title Page
Introduction
The Testimony of Three Witnesses
The Testimony of Eight Witnesses
Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

What Mormons Believe
2 Nephi 2:25 (page 59). God wants us to be happy.
2 Nephi 2:27 (page 59). We are free to choose good or evil.
2 Nephi 31:20 (page 115). If we follow Christ, and love him and all men, we can have eternal life.
Jacob 2:18-19 (page 121). We should seek for Christ before riches.
Mosiah 2:17 (page 148). When we serve others, we serve God.
Alma 36:3 (page 298). Trust in God, and he will support us in our trials.
Alma 41:10 (page 310). Wickedness doesn't bring real happiness.
Helaman 5:12 (page 378). We should build our foundation on Jesus Christ, the rock.
3 Nephi 27:27 (page 460). Christ is our example.
Ether 12:6 (page 509). What is faith?
Moroni 7:47-48 (page 524). We should pray to be filled with the pure love of Christ.
Moroni 10:4-5 (page 529). Pray for guidance, and the Holy Ghost will lead us to truth.

Good Book of Mormon Stories
1 Nephi 1-4 (page 1). The prophet Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem.
Mosiah 17-18 (page 179). Alma believes the prophet Abinadi.
Alma 8 (page 226). The prophet Alma preaches, is rejected, and meets an angel.
3 Nephi 11-26 (page 427). Jesus Christ visits the American continent after his resurrection.
Moroni 10 (page 529). Moroni, the last Nephite, buries the records.

Two missionaries find bag with $1,200 in cash

2006-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Little did these Elders know when they started the week that their missionary efforts would catch the attention of the entire town of Albuquerque, NM. Honesty pays a bigger reward than the sacrifice costs. I'm certain that $1200 wouldn't cover the amount of press they've received. Click here to read more:

http://www.abqtrib.com/...

Melchizedek: A Type of Jesus Christ

2006-10-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

The purpose of The Book of Mormon is "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Title Page). The Book of Mormon is full of symbols of Jesus Christ and his mission. The prophets, the stories (including the wars), and the tribulations of the people all point us to Jesus Christ. See, for example, Alma 13:16:

"Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord."

One example of this symbolism is the prophet Melquizedek. He is a type of the Savior. Look at how he is described in Alma 13:

Alma 13:15

And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.

Just as Abraham paid his tithes to Melchizedek, the tithing we give to the bishop is really being paid to the Lord. We are returning to Him a small portion of all that he has given us. (D&C 119:3-4)

Alma 13:17

Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem;

Jesus Christ is the Eternal King. (D&C 128:23)

and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;

Because of the Fall, all mankind is wicked and has gone astray. (Romans 3:23)

Alma 13:18

But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith,

Jesus Christ faithful in his obedient to his Father. (Luke 22:42; 2 Ne. 31:5-7)

and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God,

It is the priesthood of Jesus Christ. (D&C 107:3)

did preach repentance unto his people.

The Savior preached repentance. (Matthew 4:17; Mark 2:17)

And behold, they did repent;

Many have repented because of his call. (D&C 58:42)

and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days;

“In his days,” Christ taught the gospel of peace and atoned for our sins that we might all find peace. Through repentance, many have found peace. (John 14:27; Romans 10:15)

therefore he was called the prince of peace,

The Savior is the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

for he was the king of Salem;

Salem, later known as Jerusalem, is Hebrew for 'peaceful' or 'peaceable,' also 'perfect' or 'perfected.' Not only is 'King of Salem' a parallel of 'Prince of Peace.' It also reminds us that we should seek Christ to find peace and perfection.

and he did reign under his father.

Jesus Christ is our king but reigns under God, the Father. According to Luke, he also reigns under his father David. (Luke 1:32-33)

Alma 13:19

Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards,

Jesus Christ came during the meridian of time following many generations of great prophets and followed by many more. (D&C 20:26)

but none were greater;

Jesus did more for the salvation of men than anyone who ever lived on the earth. (D&C 135:3)

therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention.

All prophets have written of Jesus Christ, have preached of Christ, have taught of Christ because he is the author of our salvation. (2 Ne. 11:4; 2 Ne. 25:26; Jacob 7:11)

"We must not think evil of this man"

2006-10-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

In a time of hatred, war, and great upheaval, it's touching to see this beam of gospel light shining brightly. The grandfather of one of the slain Amish girls took the opportunity during this horrible trial to teach other children to love and forgive their enemy. If the world would accept and practice this principle, we would enjoy the peace the Nephites and Lamanites experienced at the end of Helaman 5 after the gospel was preached among the Lamanites.

To read more, follow this link:

(WARNING: CNN may display a Victoria Secret ad on the right side of the screen)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/04/amish.shooting/

Easy Member Missionary Activity

2006-10-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

"Creating a Personal Referral Pool" is an easy and non-threatening activity to help members do missionary work. Our new mission president shared this in a stake meeting with ward mission leaders (including me) and bishops. This can be done in in a Family Home Evening or Sunday School lesson or in a ward, quorum, or organization activity. Ward missionaries could share this with ward members in their homes. Missionaries could present this to members who feed them.

It involves four steps:

1. Make a list of everyone you know who you'd like to share the gospel with.
2. Take a week to fast and pray to determine a best approach for each.
3. Place each name in one of the following categories:

I want to personally prepare and invite this person to hear the message
I want to talk to this person and invite them to our home with the missionaries
I want the missionaries to call on this person, use my name and invite them to hear the message at our home if interested
I want the missionaries to call on this person without using my name

4. Share this "referral" list with the missionaries.

This is a completely non-threatening way to involve the members in missionary work. For members who are not ready to invite someone to learn about the gospel, they can leave it to the missionaries (category 'd'). If they're not ready for the Elders to reach out to their friends, they can choose to personally prepare their friends (category 'a') through continued friendship and example. Those members who feel inspired and courageous can invite their friends to meet with the missionaries (category 'b') or have the missionaries contact their friends using their name (category 'c').

If you try this, please post a comment and let me know how it turned out.

Fun, Interesting, and Useful BYU Websites

2006-09-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Who knew BYU had such a variety of websites? This lists shows us what's good about the Internet:

http://josephsmith.byu.edu/. This site shows important events in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith on today's date. Visit daily or sign up to have updates emailed to you regularly.

http://map.byu.edu/Map.html. This interactive BYU campus map allows you to click on a building to see pictures of it and read about the building's history and current use. The map also shows 360 degree photos—virtual tours—at twelve different locations.

http://theboard.byu.edu/. This quirky and often funny site permits readers to submit any question, and a team of “small band of omniscient know-it-alls (students)” will respond within 100 hours. Just about anything goes. For example, “What can I do with a pound of powdered sugar?”

http://foreverfamilies.byu.edu/xml/home.aspx. From the website: “Forever Families provides practical, scholarly and sacred information for strengthening individuals, marriages and families of all faiths, organized around themes of The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” The site offers articles and scholarly reports on many family-related topics.

http://www.mtc.byu.edu/. The Missionary Training Center in Provo has its own website. Who knew?

http://familyhistory.byu.edu/. Take advantage of the great family history training resources offered here including online lessons from Religion 261: Introduction to Family History.

http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/freecourses.cfm. BYU Independent Study offers a long list of free web-based courses from Family History to Music to Religion. This includes REC 76 — Bowling. Online?

http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/. Like the URL says, this is an LDS Frequently Asked Questions website. It has answers to over 400 LDS related questions.

http://roots.cs.byu.edu/. Cool. Download their free OnePage Genealogy program. It can create a single PDF file showing up to 80 generations of family history.

http://bands.byu.edu/gallery/audio.html. If you like any of BYU's bands, then come and listen. This site has many songs from the Cougar Marching Band (including the BYU Fight Song), the Symphonic Band, and the Wind Symphony. Rise and Shout!

If you know of others, please add a comment!

New LDS-Themed Digg Clone

2006-09-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

If you like Digg.com and you follow LDS news and websites, check out Sustain'd. This new website is a Digg.com clone for LDS content.

You can submit new stories, websites, blog entries, commentary, etc. and then vote on the posts you find interesting. Posts receiving the most votes rise to the main page making it easy to see the latest and greatest in the kingdom.

Romney O'Reilly's Favorite to Win Nomination

2006-09-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this interesting report (about half-way down the page) regarding Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly:

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/...

According to the report, O'Reilly was speaking to a gathering in Michigan and indicated that "Mitt ROMNEY is his early favorite to win the 2008 presidential election over U.S. Sen. Hillary CLINTON (D-N.Y.) in what he sees now as the likely head-to-head race."

God Puts Us Where He Needs Us

2006-09-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

In the April 2006 General Conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard said the following: "In a gospel-sharing home we do not just pray for the health, safety, and success of our missionaries throughout the world. We also pray for our own missionary experiences and opportunities and to be prepared to act on those impressions as they come our way. And I promise you, they will come" (M. Russell Ballard, “Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home,” Ensign, May 2006, 84). This is true.

I recently experienced a miraculous series of events confirming the truthfulness of this promise. As the ward mission leader, I frequently pray for opportunities to find investigators and fellowship less active members. Three weeks ago, I started working for a new employer. Two other individuals, Mark and Dave, had started working in the same office just weeks earlier. One day, as Mark and I were chatting, I mentioned I had learned a foreign language as a missionary. Mark lit right up and asked if I were LDS. When I answered that I was, he indicated he was too but had been less active. Just before moving to this area, he had taken steps to become active again and hoped to start attending the singles ward here. He said he would prefer to meet someone he knows on his first Sunday so that he wouldn't feel alone or out of place. I told him I knew a few people in the singles ward and could ask them to call Mark. A few days later, I called Travis who lives in our ward boundaries but attends the singles ward. He said he'd be happy to call Mark and meet him at Church. We chatted some more, and he mentioned he had just started a new job. Miraculously, he was hired by the same company Mark and I had just started working for. Once he gets settled in, I'll be able to introduce Mark to Travis, and Travis will be able to fellowship him throughout the week. Because we work for a large company with thousands of employees, it's unlikely Mark would have met Travis and learned he is LDS.

Elder Ballard's promise came true in another way. I mentioned that I started working with two individuals, Mark and David. A few days after this experience with Mark, I learned that David is married to a less-active member of the Church. David has a close relationship with his wife's family who are mostly active and living in Utah. I don't know what missionary work I'll be able to do for David, but because some people don't gain a testimony of the gospel until after they've had many contacts with the Church, the Lord probably put me here to be one of those contacts for David. I'll continue to pray that the Lord will bless me with opportunities to share the gospel with him.

I know Elder Ballard's promise is true. As we pray for opportunities to share the gospel with other, the Lord will grant us our desire. We must then have the courage to act on it.

Remember How Great Things the Lord Has Done

2006-09-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Lord has shown great mercy in delivering our fathers from “all manner of afflictions” and from bondage. We should follow the counsel of Moroni (Moroni 10:3) and ponder this, for Jesus Christ can deliver us too. Consider the following counsel:

2 Nephi 1:1-3
1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.
2 And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea.
3 And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.

2 Nephi 9:53
53 And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel.

Mosiah 27:16
16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.

Alma 62:50
50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.

Ether 6:30
30 And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers.

Moroni 10:3
3 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.

Great Gospel Study Resources on the Web

2006-09-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Internet has a wealth of gospel study resources. Consider the following:

Mormon Studies: BYU's Resource Guide. "...Lee Library's resource guide for online material on Mormon theology, history, culture, and people. Use this guide to search for articles, books, biographies, diaries, manuscripts, dissertations, family histories, photographs, films, music, art, and more. This guide will greatly facilitate your research on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

The Image Collection. "...contains images pertaining to the doctrines and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Images include photographs, drawings, and paintings of LDS historic sites, Holy Land sites, and significant people in Church history and doctrine."
19th Century Mormon Publications. "This collection of early Mormon publications includes books, missionary tracts, doctrinal treatises, hymnals and periodicals which helped define the doctrinal development and historical movements of the Mormon people in the 19th century."

LDS General Conference Scriptural Index. "This index links from scriptures to the general conference talks that cite those scriptures.... [The website has] indexed the scriptures cited by speakers in LDS General Conference between 1942 and the present."

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon. This website allows you to look up a word from the Bible and find the Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) word it was translated from. Strong's Concordance will show all other places in the Bible that word is used, the other English words it was translated into, and alternate meanings.

BibleGateway.com Passage Lookup. See how a Bible verse is rendered in 20 different English translations. This may aid in better understanding the meaning of a verse.

If you know of other good resources, please post a comment.

Three Key Book of Mormon Themes

2006-09-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Near the end of his life, Alma the Younger sat down with each of his sons to give them fatherly counsel. We can read his counsel to his eldest son Helaman in Alma 36. In the first three verses, Alma provides the following counsel:

1. “...inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.” (verse 1); 2. “I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.” (verse 2); 3. “...whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” (verse 3)
Using the chiastic style of his Hebrew ancestors, Alma emphasized the importance of these three principles by repeating them in reverse order at the end of Alma 36:: 3. “...I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me.” (verse 27); 2. “...he has brought our fathers out of Egypt...and he has also brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power, delivered them out of bondage and captivity...and ye...ought to retain in remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.” (verses 28-29); 1. “...inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and...inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence” (verse 30)
These three principles point us to Jesus Christ, and teach us of his love, mercy, and role as our Savior. All are taught abundantly throughout the Book of Mormon directly and symbolically. I will touch on each briefly here.

1. Keep the Commandments to Prosper in the Land

This principle is simple and oft repeated. Twenty verses in the Book of Mormon use nearly this same wording: If we keep God's commandments, we will prosper in the land. Some verses then continue with the corollary that if we do not keep God's commandments, we will be cut off from his presence. See 1 Nephi 2:20-21; 1 Nephi 4:14; 2 Nephi 1:9; 2 Nephi 1:20; 2 Nephi 1:31; 2 Nephi 4:4; Jarom 1:9-10; Omni 1:6; Mosiah 1:7; Mosiah 2:22; Mosiah 2:31; Alma 9:13; Alma 36:1; Alma 36:30; Alma 37:13; Alma 38:1; Alma 48:15; Alma 48:25; Alma 50:20; Alma 62:45-51; Helaman 3:20; and 3 Nephi 5:22.

Many of the stories in the Book of Mormon teach this principle. The Nephite pride cycle, which we see repeated over and over, is a perfect example. When the Nephites—or the Lamanites—were living righteously, the Lord prospered them in various ways. Often, they enjoyed temporal wealth, a symbol of the more important spiritual wealth or treasure in heaven we will enjoy in the eternities. Prosperity also took the form of strength during battles with more numerous enemy armies. In most of the battles the Nephites fought, the Lamanites outnumbered them. However, when the Nephites called upon God in faith, he strengthened them that they could prosper against the greater foe.

2. Remember the Captivity of Our Fathers

Why would we be counseled to remember the captivity of our fathers? Alma answers this in Alma 5:6:
: “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?”

Remembering our fathers' captivity reminds us that the Lord delivered them from both physical and spiritual captivity through his mercy and long-suffering. And if he could deliver our fathers from captivity, he can deliver us too. Any time we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we should turn to the Lord. He can help us to escape. We must also remember that through the Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins and ultimately escape the chains of hell.

Like the first principle, this counsel is repeated throughout the Book of Mormon. See the following verses: Mosiah 27:16; Alma 5:6; Alma 9:9-10; Alma 29:11-12; Alma 36:2; Alma 36:28-29; Alma 60:20; Ether 7:27; Ether 10:2.

Not only is this principle expressly taught, but we also see many examples of it throughout the Book of Mormon. The verses above remind us of the children of Israel escaping from bondage in Egypt and of Lehi and his family being led away from Jerusalem. We should also remember stories like Alma and his people miraculously escaping their captivity in the land of Helam (Mosiah 24).

Note that throughout the Book of Mormon, the prophets exhort us to remember the Lord and what he has done for us:

“...remember how great things the Lord had done..., that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.” (Alma 62:50)
“...remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.” (Helaman 5:9)
“...remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation....” (Helaman 5:12)
“...eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son...and always remember him....” (Moroni 4:3)
“...do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son which was shed for them;...always remember him....” (Moroni 5:2)
“...remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men....” (Moroni 10:3)

3. Trust in God and Be Supported in Our Afflictions

Our mortality is a probationary period, a time to learn, grow, and prove ourselves so we can expect trials, troubles, and afflictions. While the Lord promises to lift us up at the last day, we must still endure challenges in life to prove ourselves faithful. However, if we will place our trust in him, he will grant us peace and strengthen us to endure our struggles.

We see many examples of this message of hope throughout the Book of Mormon. In one example, Helaman, Gid, and Teomner, and their small Nephite army are struggling to defend their lands against a greater Lamanite force. While suffering from hunger, fear, and a lack of support from their government, they turn to the Lord:
: “Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.” (Alma 58:10)

As promised, the Lord visited his people in response to their prayer of faith:
: “Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.” (Alma 58:11)

Alma and his people in the land of Helam provide another beautiful example of this principle. After escaping from the wicked King Noah and setting up their own community in the land of Helam, Alma and his people were discovered by a Lamanite army and became subject to one of the former priests of Noah.
: “...Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children....[H]e exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them.” (Mosiah 24:8-9)

Putting their trust in God, “they began to cry mightily to God” (Mosiah 24:10). When their captors commanded them to stop praying, they “did pour out their hearts to [God]; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts” (Mosiah 24:12). Then came his reply:
: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” (Mosiah 24:13-14)

These three great themes in the Book of Mormon repeated point us to the Lord for prosperity, strength, and deliverance from our afflictions and captivity. Jesus Christ loves us. Through him we can endure and overcome all things.

Earliest Olmec Writings Found

2006-09-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

NewScientist.com reported today that a stone slab with the earliest known writing in the Americas had been found in Mexico. One scholar believes the writing dates from 1000 BC to 900 BC. For more information, visit the NewScientist.com website:

http://www.newscientist.com/...

The Olmecs may have been Jaredites. The following websites, among many, discuss this posibility:

Surviving Jaredite Names in Mesoamerica (Meridian Magazine)
A New Model for Book of Mormon Geography
A Social History of the Early Nephites (FAIR)
Searching for Book of Mormon Lands in Middle America (FARMS)

Blessings of Tithing

2006-09-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Great promises are given to those who faithfully pay their tithing. They include the following.

Growth in knowledge and testimony
: President Heber J. Grant: “Prosperity comes to those who observe the law of tithing. When I say prosperity I am not thinking of it in terms of dollars and cents alone. . . . What I count as real prosperity . . . is the growth in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel and to inspire our families to do the same. That is prosperity of the truest kind.” (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham (1941), 59)

Defense against evil
: President James E. Faust: “In our time we are surfeited with a pestilence of violence, evil, and wickedness in so many forms. Those who keep their covenants and pay their tithes and offerings will have some extra defense against these virulent modern-day forms of evil.” (October 1998 General Conference)

Development of the soul
: Elder James E. Talmage: “After all, the prime or great purpose behind the establishment of the law of the tithe is the development of the soul of the tithe-payer, rather than the providing of revenue. The latter is an all-important purpose, for so far as money is needed for the carrying on of the work of the Church the Lord requires money that is sanctified by the faith of the giver; but blessings beyond estimate, as gaged by the coin of the realm, are assured unto him who strictly conforms to the law of the tithe because the Lord hath so commanded.” (Articles of Faith)

Peace and happiness
: President Marion G. Romney: “As is true with respect to all of God’s commandments, the payment of tithing brings a peace and happiness unknown to the defaulter.” (“The Blessings of an Honest Tithe,” New Era, Jan.–Feb. 1982, 45)

Protection from destruction of the wicked in the last days
: Elder Rudger Clawson: “Does it mean that if a man will not pay his tithing, that the Lord is going to send a ball of fire down from heaven and burn him up? No; the Lord does not do that way. The Lord works on natural principles. This is what it means: . . . It means that the Spirit of the Lord will withdraw from him; it means that the power of the priesthood will withdraw from that man if he continues in the spirit of neglect to do his duty. He will drift away into darkness, gradually but surely, until finally . . . he will lift up his eyes among the wicked. That is where he will finally land; and then when the destruction comes and when the burning comes, he will be among the wicked, and will be destroyed.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1913, p. 59)

Food, clothing, and shelter
: President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I have wept as I have seen the poverty and the suffering of the people in this part of the earth. My heart reaches out to them. I do not know what the solution is, except the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think it is the only thing that will help them and bless their lives. If they, even living in poverty and misery, can look to God with hope and faith it will sustain them in their hours of sorrow. Furthermore, I believe with all my heart that if they will accept the gospel and live it, pay their tithes and offerings, even though those be meager, the Lord will keep His ancient promise in their behalf, and they will have rice in their bowls and clothing on their backs and shelter over their heads. I do not see any other solution. They need a power greater than any earthly power to lift them and help them” (missionary meeting, Philippines Cebu Mission, 1 June 1996). (“Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign, Aug. 1997, 3)

More easily pay our debts
: President Ezra Taft Benson: “Let us pay first our obligations to our Heavenly Father. Then we will more easily pay our debts to our fellowmen.” (“Pay Thy Debt, and Live,” Ensign, June 1987, 3)
: President Joseph F. Smith: "... one of the best ways that I know of to pay my obligations to my brother, my neighbor, or business associate, is for me first to pay my obligations to the Lord. I can pay more of my debts to my neighbors, if I have contracted them, after I have met my honest obligations with the Lord, than I can by neglecting the latter; and you can do the same. If you desire to prosper, and to be free men and women and a free people, first meet your just obligations to God, and then meet your obligations to your fellowmen. Bishop Hunter used to put the matter in these words: "Brethren, pay your tithing and be blessed", and that is just what I mean." (Conference Report, Apr. 1903, p. 2)

Fewer problems, more prosperity
: Elder James E. Faust: “One of the greatest lessons I have learned during my lifetime about doing the best things in the worst times is that people who pay their tithing in both difficult times and good times get along better. They simply have fewer problems; there are fewer family problems and fewer financial problems. Their outlook is more positive, their ability to do and function is increased, and they prosper spiritually as well as temporally.” (“Doing the Best Things in the Worst Times,” Ensign, Aug. 1984, 41)

More power to inspire our families to live the gospel
: President Heber J. Grant: “The law of financial prosperity to the Latter-day Saints, under covenant with God, is to be an honest tithepayer, and not to rob the Lord in tithes and offerings. Prosperity comes to those who observe the law of tithing; and when I say prosperity I am not thinking of it in terms of dollars and cents alone, although as a rule the Latter-day Saints who are the best tithepayers are the most prosperous men, financially; but what I count as real prosperity, as the one thing of all others that is of great value to every man and woman living, is the growth in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel and to inspire our families to do the same. That is prosperity of the truest kind.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1925, 10)

Abhor Sin

2006-09-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our Attitude Toward Sin and Righteousness
September 4, 2006

“Therefore they were called after this holy order [of the high priesthood] and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceeding great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.” (Alma 13:11-12)

President Spencer W. Kimball wrote, “This passage indicates an attitude which is basic to the sanctification we should all be seeking, and thus to the repentance which merits forgiveness. It is that the former transgressor must have reached a 'point of no return' to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin—where the sin becomes most distasteful to him and where the desire or urge to sin is cleared out of his life. (Spencer W. Kimball, God Will Forgive, Ensign, Mar. 1982, 2)

Look at the language used in the scriptures to describe the proper attitude toward and actions regarding sin (underlined) and righteousness (bolded):

2 Nephi 4: 31. Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
Romans 12:9. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Alma 13:12. could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence
2 Nephi 9:49. Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness
Proverbs 8:13. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
1 Corinthians 6:18. Flee fornication.
1 Corinthians 10:14. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Timothy 6:11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Alma 45:16. the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance
2 Timothy 2:16. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Mosiah 5:2. the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
- “Perhaps of all the evidence of true conversion and a remission of sins, this is the most significant: the disposition to do evil no more, but to do good continually” (Spencer J. Condie, “A Disposition to Do Good Continually,” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 13).
- “The seeds of our disposition toward good or evil are largely sown by our desires. In teaching the wayward Zoramites how they could gain a knowledge of the truth, Alma admonished them to “exercise a particle of faith,” and if they could “no more than desire to believe, [to] let this desire work in [them]” (Alma 32:27). What begins as a fleeting desire, when cultivated and pursued long enough, becomes a habitual form of thought or behavior.” (Spencer J. Condie, “A Disposition to Do Good Continually,” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 13)
Alma 19:33. their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.
Mosiah 4:13. ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.

First Entry

2006-09-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to share with the world my personal LDS gospel study. Ocassionally, I'll research a topic and write up a paper or study sheet. If it's polished enough, it may end up in my scriptures. But normally, it just winds up buried deep in My Documents. I'd like to post my thoughts and research in the event they might be useful to others in their own study of the scriptures.

I tend to focus more on the Book of Mormon, but sometimes my thematic studies will cross all books of scripture and include quotes from Church leaders and other sources.

From the name of my blog, you can correctly infer that I'm a graduate of Brigham Young University and a huge fan of their sports teams. Don't prejudge me, however. I'm a huge fan of the Utes (so long as they're not playing BYU).

Please come back often, read what I post, and provide constructive feedback. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards,
TylerD