"I hasten to say that I do know what this young man was really asking. What he really meant was, “Will I finish my mission? Is there any point in getting an education? Can I hope for a marriage? Do I have a future? Is there any happiness ahead for me?” And I say to all of you what I said three years ago to him: “Yes, certainly—to all those questions.”
"As far as the actual timing of the final, publicly witnessed Second Coming itself and its earthshaking events, I do not know when that will happen. Furthermore, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said that he doesn’t know when it will happen, and that is because no one knows when it will happen. The Savior said that even the angels in heaven would not know (see Matthew 24:36).
"We should watch for the signs and read the meaning of the seasons, we should live as faithfully as we possibly can, and we should share the gospel with everyone so that blessings and protections will be available to all. But we cannot and must not be paralyzed just because that event and the events surrounding it are out there ahead of us somewhere. We cannot stop living life. Indeed, we should live life more fully than we have ever lived it before. After all, this is the dispensation of the fulness of times.
"I say this because in recent times—post 9-11 times, I suppose—I have heard very fearful and even dismal opinions coming from some in your age group regarding the questions that missionary had in mind. I have heard some of you say that you wonder whether there is any purpose in going on a mission or getting an education or planning for a career if the world we live in is going to be so uncertain. I have even heard sweethearts say, “We don’t know whether we should get married in such uncertain times.”
"Worst of all, I have heard reports of some newlyweds questioning whether they should bring children into a terror-filled world on the brink of latter-day cataclysms. May I tell you that, in a way, those kinds of attitudes worry me more than Al-Qaeda worries me.
"I have just two things to say to any of you who are troubled about the future. I say it lovingly and from my heart.
"First, we must never, in any age or circumstance, let fear and the father of fear (Satan himself) divert us from our faith and faithful living. There have always been questions about the future. Every young person or every young couple in every era has had to walk by faith into what has always been some uncertainty—starting with Adam and Eve in those first tremulous steps out of the Garden of Eden. But that is all right. This is the plan. It will be okay. Just be faithful. God is in charge. He knows your name and He knows your need.
"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward, as it says in K. Newell Dayley's hymn commemorating our pioneers of the past, “with faith in ev’ry footstep.”1 But like those pioneers, you do have to keep taking them—one step and then another and then the next. That is how tasks are accomplished, that is how goals are achieved, and that is how frontiers are conquered. In more divine language, that is how worlds are created and it is how your world will be created.
"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.
"God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.
"Drawing upon my vast background of children’s bedtime stories, I say you can pick your poultry. You can either be like Chicken Little and run about shouting “The sky is falling; the sky is falling” or you can be like the Little Red Hen and forge ahead with the productive tasks of living, regardless of who does or doesn’t help you or who does or doesn’t believe just the way you believe.
"...So, in a world of tribulation—and there will always be plenty of it—let’s remember our faith. Let’s recall the other promises and prophecies that have been given, all the reassuring ones, and let’s live life more fully, with more boldness and courage than at any other time in our history.
"Christ has overcome the world and made straight a path for us in the wilderness. He has said to us in our day: “Gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome” (D&C 38:9). So let’s gird up. Let’s get some gusto into singing those songs of everlasting joy."
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Jeffrey R. Holland on Responsibility to Prepare
"Let me add another element to this view of the dispensation that I think follows automatically. Because ours is the last and greatest of all dispensations, because all things will eventually culminate and be fulfilled in our era, there is, therefore, one particular, very specific responsibility that falls to those of us in the Church now that did not rest quite the same way on the shoulders of Church members in any earlier time. Unlike the Church in the days of Abraham or Moses, Isaiah or Ezekiel, or even in the New Testament days of James and John, we have a responsibility to prepare the Church of the Lamb of God to receive the Lamb of God—in person, in triumphant glory, in His millennial role as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. No other dispensation ever had that duty.
"In the language of the scriptures, we are the ones designated in all of history who must prepare the bride for the advent of the Bridegroom and be worthy of an invitation to the wedding feast (see Matthew 25:1–12; 22:2–14; D&C 88:92, 96). Collectively speaking—whether it is in our lifetime or our children’s or our grandchildren’s or whenever—we nevertheless have the responsibility as a Church and as individual members of that Church to be worthy to have Christ come to us, to be worthy to have Him greet us, and to have Him accept and receive and embrace us. The lives we present to Him in that sacred hour must be worthy of Him!"
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
"In the language of the scriptures, we are the ones designated in all of history who must prepare the bride for the advent of the Bridegroom and be worthy of an invitation to the wedding feast (see Matthew 25:1–12; 22:2–14; D&C 88:92, 96). Collectively speaking—whether it is in our lifetime or our children’s or our grandchildren’s or whenever—we nevertheless have the responsibility as a Church and as individual members of that Church to be worthy to have Christ come to us, to be worthy to have Him greet us, and to have Him accept and receive and embrace us. The lives we present to Him in that sacred hour must be worthy of Him!"
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
Monday, February 26, 2018
Jeffrey R. Holland Quote on Living in the Last Dispensation
"In fact, I have a theory about those earlier dispensations and the leaders, families, and people who lived then, of those whom the Prophet Joseph, President Woodruff, and President Hinckley spoke. I have thought often about them and the destructive circumstances that confronted them. They faced terribly difficult times and, for the most part, did not succeed in their dispensations. Apostasy and darkness eventually came to every earlier age in human history. Indeed, the whole point of the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days is that it had not been able to survive in earlier times and therefore had to be pursued in one last, triumphant age.
"We know the challenges Abraham’s posterity faced (and still do). We know of Moses’ problems with an Israelite people who left Egypt but couldn’t quite get Egypt to leave them. Isaiah was the prophet who saw the loss of the 10 Israelite tribes to the north. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets of captivity. Peter, James, John, and Paul, the great figures of the New Testament, all saw apostasy creeping into their world almost before the Savior had departed and certainly while they themselves were still living. Think of the prophets of the Book of Mormon, living in a dispensation ending with such painful communication between Mormon and Moroni about the plight they faced and the nations they loved dissolving into corruption, terror, and chaos.
"In short, apostasy and destruction of one kind or another was the ultimate fate of every general dispensation we have ever had down through time. But here’s my theory. My theory is that those great men and women, the leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, to keep testifying, to keep trying to do their best, not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would. I believe they took courage and hope not so much from their own circumstances as from yours—a magnificent congregation of young adults like you tonight gathered by the hundreds of thousands around the world in a determined effort to see the gospel prevail and triumph.
"Moroni said once, speaking to those of us who would receive his record in the last days:
"Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.
"Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. [Mormon 8:34–35]
"One way or another, I think virtually all of the prophets and early apostles had their visionary moments of our time—a view that gave them courage in their own less-successful eras. Those early brethren knew an amazing amount about us. Prophets such as Moses, Nephi, and the brother of Jared saw the latter days in tremendously detailed vision. Some of what they saw wasn’t pleasing, but surely all those earlier generations took heart from knowing that there would finally be one dispensation that would not fail.
"Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them “heavenly and joyful anticipations” and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory. I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can’t get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can’t get excited!"
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
"We know the challenges Abraham’s posterity faced (and still do). We know of Moses’ problems with an Israelite people who left Egypt but couldn’t quite get Egypt to leave them. Isaiah was the prophet who saw the loss of the 10 Israelite tribes to the north. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets of captivity. Peter, James, John, and Paul, the great figures of the New Testament, all saw apostasy creeping into their world almost before the Savior had departed and certainly while they themselves were still living. Think of the prophets of the Book of Mormon, living in a dispensation ending with such painful communication between Mormon and Moroni about the plight they faced and the nations they loved dissolving into corruption, terror, and chaos.
"In short, apostasy and destruction of one kind or another was the ultimate fate of every general dispensation we have ever had down through time. But here’s my theory. My theory is that those great men and women, the leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, to keep testifying, to keep trying to do their best, not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would. I believe they took courage and hope not so much from their own circumstances as from yours—a magnificent congregation of young adults like you tonight gathered by the hundreds of thousands around the world in a determined effort to see the gospel prevail and triumph.
"Moroni said once, speaking to those of us who would receive his record in the last days:
"Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.
"Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. [Mormon 8:34–35]
"One way or another, I think virtually all of the prophets and early apostles had their visionary moments of our time—a view that gave them courage in their own less-successful eras. Those early brethren knew an amazing amount about us. Prophets such as Moses, Nephi, and the brother of Jared saw the latter days in tremendously detailed vision. Some of what they saw wasn’t pleasing, but surely all those earlier generations took heart from knowing that there would finally be one dispensation that would not fail.
"Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them “heavenly and joyful anticipations” and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory. I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can’t get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can’t get excited!"
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Jeffrey R. Holland Quote On the Second Coming
Yesterday Mom said she was listening to a talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles about the Last Days and Second Coming. She wasn't able to finish it and I happened to look it up today.
Come to find out it was a talk given in 2004 at a BYU devotional which I had seen years ago. It was a really good talk and I remember listening to it. There were some really good quotes that I want to share. I don't think I will show them all in one post. Think I will break it up into several posts.
Here is the first one:
Come to find out it was a talk given in 2004 at a BYU devotional which I had seen years ago. It was a really good talk and I remember listening to it. There were some really good quotes that I want to share. I don't think I will show them all in one post. Think I will break it up into several posts.
Here is the first one:
"The promised Second Coming of the Savior began with the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. So we already have about 184 years of experience seeing the Second Coming and the last days unfold. We can be certain that we are in the last days—years and years of them..."
"When will all of this finish? When shall Christ appear publicly, triumphantly, and the Millennium begin? I have already told you that I don’t know. What I do know is that the initial moments of that event began 184 years ago. I do know that as a result of that First Vision and what has followed it, we live in a time of unprecedented blessings—blessings given to us for the purpose of living faithfully and purely so when the Bridegroom finally and triumphantly arrives, He can personally, justifiably bid us to the wedding feast.
"Is there a happy future for you and your posterity in these latter days? Absolutely! Most assuredly you have a beautiful future. All wedding feasts are happy occasions. Will there be difficult times when those ominous latter-day warnings and prophecies are fulfilled? Of course there will. There always have been. Be prepared. Will those who have built upon the great rock of Christ withstand such winds, such hail, and the mighty shafts in the whirlwind? You know that they will. You have it on good word. You have it on His word! That “rock upon which ye are built . . . is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men [and women] build they cannot fall” (see Helaman 5:12)."
-- Jeffrey R. Holland, September 12, 2004, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast"
Thursday, February 22, 2018
I Miss My Friend
Two years ago today I lost my good friend, Samson. I miss my white tailed fluffy friend.
Samson was the best dog in the history of mankind.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Fake News
"There’s also something happening here that is perfectly illustrating a point that I’ve been making for a couple of years. And that is that the American media has become the power center and the source of energy and guidance for the American left. Not the Democrat Party, but the media. The media gives the marching orders. The media are the activists. The media are not involved in news. The media are not reporting anything. The media have become full-fledged advocates of one particular thing.
"They are not reporting anything. They are supporting the one particular thing they want, and they are ridiculing and condemning and lying about anybody who is not on the same page as they are. The Democrat Party used to be the organism that represented the American left and other people in the left followed the lead of the Democrat Party. Today, it is the media that is leading. And the reason this is important is because many people don’t know it. Many people don’t realize it.
"Most people think the media is the news. Most people — well, I hope not most — but a sizable number of people think that when they turn on cable news or the three nightly newscasts, or now the late night comedy shows, that they’re actually getting news. And they’re not. They’re not getting anywhere near what is news. They’re not even getting correct facts. People tuning into cable news, the three nightly newscasts, or reading the big newspapers, are simply reading radical activism that is disguised as news and perpetrated as news because of the people who are presenting it."
-- RushLimbaugh.com, February 16, 2018
"They are not reporting anything. They are supporting the one particular thing they want, and they are ridiculing and condemning and lying about anybody who is not on the same page as they are. The Democrat Party used to be the organism that represented the American left and other people in the left followed the lead of the Democrat Party. Today, it is the media that is leading. And the reason this is important is because many people don’t know it. Many people don’t realize it.
"Most people think the media is the news. Most people — well, I hope not most — but a sizable number of people think that when they turn on cable news or the three nightly newscasts, or now the late night comedy shows, that they’re actually getting news. And they’re not. They’re not getting anywhere near what is news. They’re not even getting correct facts. People tuning into cable news, the three nightly newscasts, or reading the big newspapers, are simply reading radical activism that is disguised as news and perpetrated as news because of the people who are presenting it."
-- RushLimbaugh.com, February 16, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
Scripture of the Day
I listened to this Scripture the other day. I decided to look it up since it goes along so well with my Second Coming post I did not long ago.
Mosiah 27:31
Mosiah 27:31
Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Truth Endures
A week or two ago I read an article in The Church's newsroom online. There were some really good quotes in there and I wanted to share them. I just haven't taken the time to reread it and collect the quotes. But it's been on my mind for a while so I decided to do it today.
It was a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled "Truth Endures". Elder Christofferson has become a favorite apostle of mine. He reminds me of The Six Million Dollar Man in his voice inflections and the way he raises his eyebrow when he speaks. I grew up watching The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid in the 70s and Dad and I are currently watching the series at night on video. There's something comforting in an apostle with the characteristics of one of my childhood heroes.
It's a very well written and inspired talk. Well worth reading in its entirety. I'm going to post some of the things that stood out to me but you can read the entire talk here:
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018.
"I would like to speak to you this evening about truth. The Church Educational System is dedicated to teaching and inculcating truth, especially those most salient and fundamental truths that are the underpinnings of eternal life. It has always been important not only to teach but to defend truth, and in our time that need seems to be growing."
"The first thing we should understand about truth, then, is that a knowledge of truth in any significant measure requires divine assistance, either through the Light of Christ or by the aid of the Holy Ghost. Given our limited mortal capacity and resources, if we are unaided by revelation, we simply cannot achieve a comprehensive knowledge of things as they were, are, and will be, and how any one thing relates to how everything else was, is, or will be."
"I believe that most, if not all, of the truth we are able to discover comes through divine help, whether we recognize it or not."
"I turn now to the Savior’s declaration, “the truth abideth forever and ever.” In section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declares, “All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.” I take this to mean that all truth, including the truth that governs our present sphere, exists independent and apart. It is unaffected by my preference or your opinion. It stands independent of any effort to control or change it. It cannot be lobbied or influenced in any way. It is a fixed reality."
"Now, where do we find ourselves in today’s world as we seek to teach and affirm truth, especially spiritual truth?
"In much of the world, relativist thinking has become a dominant philosophy. By relativism I mean the view that ethical or moral truths are relative, that they depend on the attitudes and feelings of those who hold them, and that no one can judge the validity of someone else’s “truth.” You hear a lot of talk these days about “my truth” and “his truth” or “her truth.”"
"I think you would agree that the philosophy of moral relativism has made great inroads in our time. “Not judging” has become an almost unchallengeable standard for conversation and behavior. But in reality, we all make judgments about what is right and wrong, and not just for ourselves, but for the people and the society around us. Laws and systems of law, even political systems, are the embodiment of moral values and perceived truths. In a pluralistic society, we may debate what values should be enshrined in laws or regulations and what is right, or wrong, or true, but in the end, on any given issue, someone’s view, or some group’s view of truth, prevails and everyone becomes bound by it.
"Moral relativism just doesn’t work if there is to be order and justice in society. Can murder be wrong for most but right for some? Is a thief entitled to keep what he steals and continue stealing because he believes robbery is right for him, especially since he grew up in an underprivileged circumstance? Or taking note of something very much in the news today, is a man entitled to sexually harass a woman because he finds it consistent with his personal sense of right and wrong?
"“Well,” one might say, “you are talking about things that are generally accepted as wrong. There are some self-existing values that inhere in human existence that are the basis for laws against murder, rape, theft, and other actions that injure people or interfere with their legitimate pursuit of happiness. These are essential and universal human rights that negate any individual right to the contrary. It is only beyond these acknowledged human rights that moral relativism applies, where each individual may define for himself or herself what is right or wrong.” But this line of reasoning makes the point that there are in fact moral absolutes, whether you call them universal human rights or something else. At least some truths and moral concepts exist apart from personal whim or preference. The only debate, really, is what they are and how far they extend. What we refer to as moral relativism is actually an ongoing debate about tolerance: What actions and differences should be tolerated in society and in human relations?"
"Our calling, and it is ever more urgent in this environment, is to teach the truth of moral concepts: what they are and how far they extend. We prize truth on any subject from any source, but eternal truth, especially as it bears on the meaning and the purpose and the conduct of life, we must obtain from God. Moral relativists generally see no role or relevance for God in this discussion and typically doubt that He even exists. It would be most inconvenient for them if He does exist, and even more so if He speaks to man. One can only think about truth as relative if God is not around.
"Pew Research recently reported that for the first time, a majority of Americans (56 percent) say it is not necessary to have religious belief to be a good person. “‘God is not a prerequisite for good values and morality,’ said Greg Smith, Pew’s associate director of research, in his post about the findings.”
"I’m sure we would agree that people who are atheists or who otherwise have no professed religion or religious belief can be, and most often are, good and upright people. But we would not agree that this happens without God. As noted earlier, whether someone likes it or not, believes it or not, or is even aware of it or not, he or she is imbued with the Light of Christ and therefore possesses a common sense of right and wrong that we sometimes call conscience. The Savior said, “I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” We also read: “And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.”"
"President Boyd K. Packer, in the article I quoted earlier, taught:
“Every man, woman, and child of every nation, creed, or color—everyone, no matter where they live or what they believe or what they do—has within them the imperishable Light of Christ. In this respect, all men are created equally. The Light of Christ in everyone is a testimony that God is no respecter of persons (see D&C 1:35). He treats everyone equally in that endowment with the Light of Christ.”"
"Moral relativism does real harm as it acts to diminish conscience. If acknowledged and followed, conscience will lead to ever greater light and truth. But ignoring or suppressing conscience obviously leads one away from light and truth and into denial, error, and regret. Pretending there is no fixed, objective truth is nothing more than an attempt to evade responsibility and accountability. This is not a recipe for happiness."
"What Alma described to his son Corianton as “remorse of conscience” is real, and Budziszewski points out that attempts to suppress conscience or relieve the remorse, short of repentance, do not succeed in the end. We see it in people pretending that what they know to be wrong is not wrong. They may intentionally repeat a sin again and again in an attempt to drown out the voice of conscience. Some may pursue perpetual distraction by immersing themselves in social media, video games, or constant music in their ears to avoid any quiet moment when conscience might speak. We see it in rationalizations to which there seems to be no end, either in number or creativity."
"Beyond pretending, distracting, and rationalizing, people may try to get others to participate in the guilty act as a way of justifying themselves. They “don’t sin privately; they recruit.” We could say that Satan is the master recruiter, “for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” Most troubling are those who insist that “society must be transformed so that it no longer stands in awful judgment. So it is that they change the laws, infiltrate the schools, and create intrusive social-welfare bureaucracies.” Well did Isaiah warn, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Thus, Budziszewski concludes, it is our efforts to suppress the powerful forces of conscience and rationalize guilt that propels society ever deeper into the moral abyss. I would add it also accounts for the anger that increasingly erupts in any attempted discussion that implicates societal standards and norms."
"Attempts to repress conscience are not only futile, but if people understood things in their true light, no one would ever want to try. I mentioned near the beginning what Lehi taught about trying to escape punishment and misery by denying the reality of sin— “if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall … say there is no sin.” If we could erase the law, or truth, as those fighting against conscience are trying to do, we could indeed get rid of guilt or punishment, or misery. But remember, as Lehi cautioned, without the law there would be no upside to our existence either. We would erase the possibility of righteousness and happiness. We would erase creation and existence. Obviously, the idea of erasing or eliminating truth is nonsense, but there is a way to eliminate misery while preserving the opportunity for happiness. It is called the doctrine or gospel of Christ—faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism, both of water and of the Spirit.
"We must help our students, in the Savior’s term, “do truth,”—that is, wholeheartedly embrace the Light of Christ that is in them and welcome the added light and truth that come through the Holy Ghost. Resisting, rationalizing, and pretending will not do. Only repentance and obedience to truth can deliver the “authenticity” many covet. Only repentance and obedience to truth can preserve and enlarge our happiness and freedom."
"John records the Savior’s powerful promise “to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Knowing and following the truth most assuredly does make us free—first, free from the bondage of ignorance and sin, and then free to pursue every good thing until we receive the Father’s kingdom and all that He can give. Knowing that Jesus is Himself “the way, the truth, and the life,” the most significant meaning of the truth making us free is that by His grace, He frees us from death and hell.
"The Lord declared, “Light and truth forsake that evil one [ending the bondage of sin]. … [But] that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”"
"There really are only two options. One is to pursue truth by heeding the words of Christ—“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.” The other is to be taken in by the adversary and attempt the impossible—to find happiness in his fictions. One cannot succeed in life here or hereafter by ignoring the reality of truth, but some, actually a lot of people, try it—it just looks so much easier than repenting. But only repentance and obedience to the truth of God free us from a fantasy world that is destined to fail, “and great [shall be] the fall of it.”
"The core truths, the central realities of our existence, that we must teach and re-teach with pure conviction and all the power God gives us are these:
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018. (Emphasis added)
Well said Elder Christofferson. I would encourage you to read the entire talk by clicking the link above. There are stories and quotes from others which I didn't include.
Truth is absolute. There is no "your truth" or "my truth" or "his truth" or "her truth". There is just simply truth. Truth comes from God. Whether you like or believe certain truths or not is irrelevant. You cannot change truth. It really is that simple.
It was a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled "Truth Endures". Elder Christofferson has become a favorite apostle of mine. He reminds me of The Six Million Dollar Man in his voice inflections and the way he raises his eyebrow when he speaks. I grew up watching The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid in the 70s and Dad and I are currently watching the series at night on video. There's something comforting in an apostle with the characteristics of one of my childhood heroes.
It's a very well written and inspired talk. Well worth reading in its entirety. I'm going to post some of the things that stood out to me but you can read the entire talk here:
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018.
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| Elder D. Todd Christofferson |
"The first thing we should understand about truth, then, is that a knowledge of truth in any significant measure requires divine assistance, either through the Light of Christ or by the aid of the Holy Ghost. Given our limited mortal capacity and resources, if we are unaided by revelation, we simply cannot achieve a comprehensive knowledge of things as they were, are, and will be, and how any one thing relates to how everything else was, is, or will be."
"I believe that most, if not all, of the truth we are able to discover comes through divine help, whether we recognize it or not."
"I turn now to the Savior’s declaration, “the truth abideth forever and ever.” In section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declares, “All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.” I take this to mean that all truth, including the truth that governs our present sphere, exists independent and apart. It is unaffected by my preference or your opinion. It stands independent of any effort to control or change it. It cannot be lobbied or influenced in any way. It is a fixed reality."
"Now, where do we find ourselves in today’s world as we seek to teach and affirm truth, especially spiritual truth?
"In much of the world, relativist thinking has become a dominant philosophy. By relativism I mean the view that ethical or moral truths are relative, that they depend on the attitudes and feelings of those who hold them, and that no one can judge the validity of someone else’s “truth.” You hear a lot of talk these days about “my truth” and “his truth” or “her truth.”"
"I think you would agree that the philosophy of moral relativism has made great inroads in our time. “Not judging” has become an almost unchallengeable standard for conversation and behavior. But in reality, we all make judgments about what is right and wrong, and not just for ourselves, but for the people and the society around us. Laws and systems of law, even political systems, are the embodiment of moral values and perceived truths. In a pluralistic society, we may debate what values should be enshrined in laws or regulations and what is right, or wrong, or true, but in the end, on any given issue, someone’s view, or some group’s view of truth, prevails and everyone becomes bound by it.
"Moral relativism just doesn’t work if there is to be order and justice in society. Can murder be wrong for most but right for some? Is a thief entitled to keep what he steals and continue stealing because he believes robbery is right for him, especially since he grew up in an underprivileged circumstance? Or taking note of something very much in the news today, is a man entitled to sexually harass a woman because he finds it consistent with his personal sense of right and wrong?
"“Well,” one might say, “you are talking about things that are generally accepted as wrong. There are some self-existing values that inhere in human existence that are the basis for laws against murder, rape, theft, and other actions that injure people or interfere with their legitimate pursuit of happiness. These are essential and universal human rights that negate any individual right to the contrary. It is only beyond these acknowledged human rights that moral relativism applies, where each individual may define for himself or herself what is right or wrong.” But this line of reasoning makes the point that there are in fact moral absolutes, whether you call them universal human rights or something else. At least some truths and moral concepts exist apart from personal whim or preference. The only debate, really, is what they are and how far they extend. What we refer to as moral relativism is actually an ongoing debate about tolerance: What actions and differences should be tolerated in society and in human relations?"
"Our calling, and it is ever more urgent in this environment, is to teach the truth of moral concepts: what they are and how far they extend. We prize truth on any subject from any source, but eternal truth, especially as it bears on the meaning and the purpose and the conduct of life, we must obtain from God. Moral relativists generally see no role or relevance for God in this discussion and typically doubt that He even exists. It would be most inconvenient for them if He does exist, and even more so if He speaks to man. One can only think about truth as relative if God is not around.
"Pew Research recently reported that for the first time, a majority of Americans (56 percent) say it is not necessary to have religious belief to be a good person. “‘God is not a prerequisite for good values and morality,’ said Greg Smith, Pew’s associate director of research, in his post about the findings.”
"I’m sure we would agree that people who are atheists or who otherwise have no professed religion or religious belief can be, and most often are, good and upright people. But we would not agree that this happens without God. As noted earlier, whether someone likes it or not, believes it or not, or is even aware of it or not, he or she is imbued with the Light of Christ and therefore possesses a common sense of right and wrong that we sometimes call conscience. The Savior said, “I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” We also read: “And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.”"
"President Boyd K. Packer, in the article I quoted earlier, taught:
“Every man, woman, and child of every nation, creed, or color—everyone, no matter where they live or what they believe or what they do—has within them the imperishable Light of Christ. In this respect, all men are created equally. The Light of Christ in everyone is a testimony that God is no respecter of persons (see D&C 1:35). He treats everyone equally in that endowment with the Light of Christ.”"
"Moral relativism does real harm as it acts to diminish conscience. If acknowledged and followed, conscience will lead to ever greater light and truth. But ignoring or suppressing conscience obviously leads one away from light and truth and into denial, error, and regret. Pretending there is no fixed, objective truth is nothing more than an attempt to evade responsibility and accountability. This is not a recipe for happiness."
"What Alma described to his son Corianton as “remorse of conscience” is real, and Budziszewski points out that attempts to suppress conscience or relieve the remorse, short of repentance, do not succeed in the end. We see it in people pretending that what they know to be wrong is not wrong. They may intentionally repeat a sin again and again in an attempt to drown out the voice of conscience. Some may pursue perpetual distraction by immersing themselves in social media, video games, or constant music in their ears to avoid any quiet moment when conscience might speak. We see it in rationalizations to which there seems to be no end, either in number or creativity."
"Beyond pretending, distracting, and rationalizing, people may try to get others to participate in the guilty act as a way of justifying themselves. They “don’t sin privately; they recruit.” We could say that Satan is the master recruiter, “for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” Most troubling are those who insist that “society must be transformed so that it no longer stands in awful judgment. So it is that they change the laws, infiltrate the schools, and create intrusive social-welfare bureaucracies.” Well did Isaiah warn, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Thus, Budziszewski concludes, it is our efforts to suppress the powerful forces of conscience and rationalize guilt that propels society ever deeper into the moral abyss. I would add it also accounts for the anger that increasingly erupts in any attempted discussion that implicates societal standards and norms."
"Attempts to repress conscience are not only futile, but if people understood things in their true light, no one would ever want to try. I mentioned near the beginning what Lehi taught about trying to escape punishment and misery by denying the reality of sin— “if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall … say there is no sin.” If we could erase the law, or truth, as those fighting against conscience are trying to do, we could indeed get rid of guilt or punishment, or misery. But remember, as Lehi cautioned, without the law there would be no upside to our existence either. We would erase the possibility of righteousness and happiness. We would erase creation and existence. Obviously, the idea of erasing or eliminating truth is nonsense, but there is a way to eliminate misery while preserving the opportunity for happiness. It is called the doctrine or gospel of Christ—faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism, both of water and of the Spirit.
"We must help our students, in the Savior’s term, “do truth,”—that is, wholeheartedly embrace the Light of Christ that is in them and welcome the added light and truth that come through the Holy Ghost. Resisting, rationalizing, and pretending will not do. Only repentance and obedience to truth can deliver the “authenticity” many covet. Only repentance and obedience to truth can preserve and enlarge our happiness and freedom."
"John records the Savior’s powerful promise “to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Knowing and following the truth most assuredly does make us free—first, free from the bondage of ignorance and sin, and then free to pursue every good thing until we receive the Father’s kingdom and all that He can give. Knowing that Jesus is Himself “the way, the truth, and the life,” the most significant meaning of the truth making us free is that by His grace, He frees us from death and hell.
"The Lord declared, “Light and truth forsake that evil one [ending the bondage of sin]. … [But] that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”"
"There really are only two options. One is to pursue truth by heeding the words of Christ—“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.” The other is to be taken in by the adversary and attempt the impossible—to find happiness in his fictions. One cannot succeed in life here or hereafter by ignoring the reality of truth, but some, actually a lot of people, try it—it just looks so much easier than repenting. But only repentance and obedience to the truth of God free us from a fantasy world that is destined to fail, “and great [shall be] the fall of it.”
"The core truths, the central realities of our existence, that we must teach and re-teach with pure conviction and all the power God gives us are these:
- God, our Heavenly Father, lives, the only true and living God.
- Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God.
- Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem His people; He suffered and died to atone for their sins.
- He rose again from the dead, bringing to pass the Resurrection.
- All will stand before Him to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works."
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018. (Emphasis added)
Well said Elder Christofferson. I would encourage you to read the entire talk by clicking the link above. There are stories and quotes from others which I didn't include.
Truth is absolute. There is no "your truth" or "my truth" or "his truth" or "her truth". There is just simply truth. Truth comes from God. Whether you like or believe certain truths or not is irrelevant. You cannot change truth. It really is that simple.
That's my two cents.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Little Red Riding Hood 1977 Eastmore Elementary Production
Dad found this newspaper clipping and brought it to show me. He asked me if I remembered it. I certainly do! It represents the extent of my reluctant acting career. :-)
I remember being scared and not wanting to do it but I think everybody had to have a part. I even remember the costume that mom made for me. I played Little Red Riding Hood's mother. Check out my sweet threads. (I'm the cute girl on the far right in the photograph)
As you may recall I recently did a blog post (10/27/16) on my kindergarten teacher's obituary. Perhaps one of the reasons I remember Mrs. Craven is because of this (traumatic) experience. I do remember her being a nice teacher though. Despite making me act. :-) I don't remember for sure but I think I had one line. That was more than enough for me.
This article appeared in the Orem Geneva Times on April 28, 1977. Over 40 years ago!
Oh the memories.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Happy Groundhog Day!
Happy Groundhog Day everybody. This morning Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. So get ready for six more weeks of winter.
I don't know why I like this silly holiday so much but I love Groundhog Day!
I don't know why I like this silly holiday so much but I love Groundhog Day!
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