Let's get a few things straight.
As great as America has become, and as great as its auspicious foundings were, America is not spoken of in scripture as a "choice nation," as many Latter-day Saints believe and profess.
This is where we get mixed up: this is a "choice land," and this sacred fact presumes a huge responsibility and accountability upon the nation that possesses it.
The words of scripture explain:
"And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. . . ."
And further from Moroni:
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."
This is the repeated message of Moroni found in Ether chapter 2. Read the whole chapter. There is a power in Moroni's repetition.
Note that the God of this land is Jesus Christ. How marvelous that the Book of Mormon is so plain, so clear, so true to its own internal message as a witness, another testament of Jesus Christ!
This is the land where it all began. Where the human family had its origins. Where the Garden of Eden stood. Our enemies and detractors scoff at this. But, in the Lord's words to Moroni further on in the Book of Ether, "Fools mock, but they shall mourn" (Ether 12:26). This is sacred turf, special---even holy---ground, a choice land. It is a great privilege to live here, to "possess this choice land." It is not to be trifled with. The Book of Mormon makes this abundantly clear.
Today, as we write, the financial markets are closed. The reason: the approach on New York City of "the greatest storm in our history." Whether Hurricane Sandy turns out to live up to that description we shall soon see. The point is: the Lord is in charge of the weather, and He often uses the weather to get the attention of the people, as we wrote in a GIFTS post in June 2010.
So, what about this little detail of "swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them"? Is the Lord pleased with the inhabitants, the possessors of this choice land?
Here is an acid test. Perhaps this is how we test out whether we are close to the "Tipping Point." Consider the following in the context of events set to take place next Tuesday, November 6th: the national election.
"Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people [the minority] to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law---to do your business by the voice of the people."
This warning verse sounded an ominous alarm for me at the 2008 election. My worst fears came true at that event.
The next verse says: "And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land" --- this choice land.
This warning voice in Mosiah 29 is separated from Moroni's "choice land" passages we started with here by some 285 pages and some 500 years in the Book of Mormon chronology.
Neither Moroni nor his father, chief compiler, editor, and prophet, Mormon were optimistic about the future possessors of this land. They witnessed the destruction of the early possessors of this choice land and their record is a warning voice: the Book of Mormon is a warning voice. History tends to repeat itself.
In conclusion, some cogent insights from Hugh Nibley in a 1970s article entitled, "Beyond Politics":
"At the present time the political dialogue throughout the world has deteriorated catastrophically. In most countries it has degenerated into such mechanical and stereotyped forms that it is no longer profitable or meaningful --- it is no longer a dialogue at all. If you are a private citizen you just do not 'discuss' things with colonels, commisars [czars?], or corporations --- you do what they tell you to do or at best manipulate you into doing. Has it ever been different? Not much . . . ."
Brother Nibley continues:
"God has never given us a time schedule for the developments of the last days. There are a number of reasons for this; for example, if we knew the time and the hour, we would gauge our behavior accordingly and conveniently postpone repentance --- whereas God wants us to live as if we were expecting his coming at any moment. He comes as a thief in the night, 'Watch, therefore, for ye know not the time. . . .' But though he does not give us dates and figures, he does give us unmistakable signs of the times, and urges us to pay the closest possible attention to them. . . ."
And in conclusion from Brother Nibley:
"Specifically, if we want to know the sure sign of the end, we are instructed to look for ripeness or fullness. The end comes when, and only when, 'the time is ripe,' when 'the harvest is ripe'; when the people are 'ripe in iniquity.' Or, to use the other figure, when 'the cup of His wrath is full,' which will be when 'the cup of their iniquity is full.' Or, to combine both terms, when the world is fully ripe in iniquity. Fruit is fully ripe at that moment when further ripening would not mean improvement but only deterioration. . . . When the fruit is ripe there is no point in letting it remain longer on the tree. . . . A society has reached such a point when it can no longer go in the direction it has been taking, when the only hope of motion lies in a change or a direct reversal of direction, and repentance is that change of direction. . . .
"Yet throughout the world today, few, it would seem, have any intention anymore of repenting. That is the ominous note!" (Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless, 293--95).
Gloom and doom? No. God and His servants the prophets are not gloom-and-doom merchants. But they are dead serious about conditions in the earth today. When abortions are in the millions and are often used as a convenience of birth control, God sees that as a "ripening in iniquity."
And when I get feedback from Latter-day Saints telling me that abortion is not viewed negatively by the Lord because He has given no revelation on the subject, I have to think of the Prophet Joseph's words, which Nibley cited earlier in his article.
The last word, then, from Joseph, Kirtland, January 4th, 1833, in a letter to the editor of a newspaper:
"For some length of time I have been carefully viewing the state of things, as it now appears, throughout our Christian land; and have looked at it with feelings of the most painful anxiety. While upon one hand I behold the manifest withdrawal of God's Holy Spirit, and the veil of stupidity which seems to be drawn over the hearts of the people; upon the other hand, I behold the judgments of God that have swept, and are still sweeping hundreds and thousands of our race, and I fear unprepared, down to the shades of death. With this solemn and alarming fact before me, I am led to exclaim, 'O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night.' [See Jeremiah 9:1 and 2 Nephi 33:2--4]
"I think that it is high time for a Christian world to awake out of sleep, and cry mightily to that God, day and night, whose anger we have justly incurred" (Teachings, 13--14).
Tipping Point? We'll see soon. "Fully ripe in iniquity"? Remember, "the only safety for what is coming is in the scriptures" (BKP) --- and in our ongoing repentance.
God bless.
Steve
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
GIFTS: The Deeply Flawed Social Doctrine of Self-Esteem, Guilty Parent of Unconditional Love
Where did we get the idea of "unconditional love"? From the world. From the philosophies of men. It is a commonplace idea born in the sciences of psychology. It is the child of the pervasive idea in our society and culture of self-esteem. And they are both false gospel ideas.
When we Latter-day Saints take such an idea and mingle it with scripture we end up with the philosophies of men that we are warned against in sacred places. And which we are under covenant to avoid.
It is common to hear people at the local level of the Church---faithful, good, decent Latter-day Saints--- defend the use of such terms as unconditional love and self-esteem when they appear in our talks and testimonies and lessons, and in our curriculum. "The Lord would never allow us to use false ideas from the world to lead us astray. If we hear it in a talk or see it in a manual it must be correct," they say.
Thankfully, by deliberate decision, as we have said before, such terms are now specifically banned from official Church publications, and you will not hear them in the talks of the Brethren. This is all, as we say, by specific design.
But at the grass roots, the regular members at the local level of the Church, we still seem to have trouble with such bad ideas. We still embrace them. We speak of boosting our self-esteem as if it were vital and central to the gospel plan of redemption.
In the summer of 1828 the Prophet Joseph lost the 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon plates. He lost the manuscript by disobedience to the will of the Lord. As a result he not only lost the manuscript, he lost the plates themselves for a season, and he lost the Spirit of the Lord. It was a four-month period of agony and deep repentance by Joseph. He was without the Spirit. He felt he had betrayed his calling, and he was left alone by the Lord to suffer the severe consequences of his folly.
Martin Harris had persisted in mithering to see the manuscript. The Prophet continued to plead with the Lord enough times, until they got divine permission, contrary to the Lord's earlier counsel. But disastrous results followed. We can learn something from these instances. Obtaining divine permission is not the same as hearkening to divine counsel. It is almost counselling the Lord, and although permission is granted, it is not a guarantee of protection nor an insulation against tragedy. When we weary the Lord, or the Brethren, for permission, against original counsel, we have to assume the responsibility of the outcome. If we modify the original plan, or simply ignore the counsel given, we are in the same category. (See Robert J. Matthews, BYU, August 1985.)
"If they didn't know the right words, they wouldn't know the plan," taught President Ezra Taft Benson.
Self-esteem and unconditional love are not the right words. They are not part of the plan. In fact they go contrary to the designed purposes of the plan. They give false hope and comfort. And the result is counter to the Lord's purposes and plans for the salvation of His children. All this because we prefer the philosophies of men instead of a deep familiarity with the Lord's own words as given to us by prophets ancient and modern. Self-esteem and unconditional love are from the domain of natural man. They are antithetical to the nature of God and His restored gospel plan.
Basic to a correct understanding of the plan is to accept that our natural fallen state is at odds with God's nature and character. Our fallen nature places us at enmity with God and His ways, indeed it makes us enemies to God. That should be enough to get our attention and place our faith and trust in Him instead of turning to the precepts of men. This is clearly taught in the Book of Mormon.
When we see this clearly, when we have this basic understanding of the plan, that we are placed here as a test to see if we will seek unto and obey the Lord in all things, and at all hazards, then we are in the path of the plan, the path of safety (see Abraham 3:24--5), and we will avoid the ideas of men at all costs.
Can you start to see why a deep familiarity with the holy scriptures is vital for our mortal journey?
These corrective ideas are based in the scriptures, and anyone with a working knowledge of the scriptures will hear echoes here of the word of the Lord. To further illustrate:
"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." This is from the Lord Jesus Christ as found in John 12. Do you think He knows something? Do you suspect He knows the big picture better than we do, this "Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief"?
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . .
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 14:27; 16:33, emphasis added).
Can you see the Lord Jesus' emphasis on Himself, on coming unto Him for our peace and comfort and consolation, and avoiding the world's ideas? Do you see it?
Remember too, "God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect" (JST Hebrews 11:40).
And from those with the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus: "The world today speaks a great deal about love, and it is sought for by many. But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love" (President Benson). Do your ideas about love have their origins in the world or in the restored gospel?
"We know that the God of Israel announced himself to be holy and declared for that reason his people must also be holy [Leviticus 19:2, see footnote a]. The followers of Christ were known as disciples, which means disciplined followers. No doctrine was better understood among them than that no unclean thing can enter the presence of God. Everything in the law of Moses was designed to teach this, as are all the ordinances of the gospel known to the Saints of the New Testament. The fundamental doctrine of both the Old and New Testament is that we came into the world to fight against our fallen nature, not to fall in love with it" (JFMc, Agency, p. 89, emphasis added).
"The children of Zion love in proportion to the heavenly knowledge which they have received; for love keeps pace with knowledge, and as the one increases so does the other, and when knowledge is perfected, love will be perfected also" (Orson Pratt).
"I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved with a pureness, an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this grovelling sphere and expand it as the ocean . . . . In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also" (Parley P. Pratt).
"Our object is to strengthen faith, not to reinforce self-esteem" (Dallin H. Oaks).
"There must be decision of character, aside from sympathy" (Joseph Smith).
"There are even cases where our liking [someone] conflicts with our charity towards the person we like. For example, a doting mother may be tempted by natural affection to 'spoil' her child; that is, to gratify her own affectionate impulses at the expense of the child's real happiness later on" (C.S.Lewis).
In conclusion (for now), the biggest damage of self-esteem and unconditional love has been in our children. We thought we were doing the right thing, the kind and loving thing, by trying to protect our children from the trials and lessons of life, by indulging them---at home and in school---by rewarding them and praising them beyond all sense of their actual achievement, and in doing so we harmed them, as Jack Lewis describes in this final quote above.
For this reason, and because both of these false ideas have been so pervasive and universal among us, influencing and determining everything else we think about the gospel, it is vital for us to understand the true doctrine as it resides in the mind of our Father in heaven. How can we boldly claim such understanding? That is for you to find out. . . . But these things, as set forth here, are true and faithful, and approach the mind of God. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
More to be said on this, that's how important it is.
Steve
When we Latter-day Saints take such an idea and mingle it with scripture we end up with the philosophies of men that we are warned against in sacred places. And which we are under covenant to avoid.
It is common to hear people at the local level of the Church---faithful, good, decent Latter-day Saints--- defend the use of such terms as unconditional love and self-esteem when they appear in our talks and testimonies and lessons, and in our curriculum. "The Lord would never allow us to use false ideas from the world to lead us astray. If we hear it in a talk or see it in a manual it must be correct," they say.
Thankfully, by deliberate decision, as we have said before, such terms are now specifically banned from official Church publications, and you will not hear them in the talks of the Brethren. This is all, as we say, by specific design.
But at the grass roots, the regular members at the local level of the Church, we still seem to have trouble with such bad ideas. We still embrace them. We speak of boosting our self-esteem as if it were vital and central to the gospel plan of redemption.
In the summer of 1828 the Prophet Joseph lost the 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon plates. He lost the manuscript by disobedience to the will of the Lord. As a result he not only lost the manuscript, he lost the plates themselves for a season, and he lost the Spirit of the Lord. It was a four-month period of agony and deep repentance by Joseph. He was without the Spirit. He felt he had betrayed his calling, and he was left alone by the Lord to suffer the severe consequences of his folly.
Martin Harris had persisted in mithering to see the manuscript. The Prophet continued to plead with the Lord enough times, until they got divine permission, contrary to the Lord's earlier counsel. But disastrous results followed. We can learn something from these instances. Obtaining divine permission is not the same as hearkening to divine counsel. It is almost counselling the Lord, and although permission is granted, it is not a guarantee of protection nor an insulation against tragedy. When we weary the Lord, or the Brethren, for permission, against original counsel, we have to assume the responsibility of the outcome. If we modify the original plan, or simply ignore the counsel given, we are in the same category. (See Robert J. Matthews, BYU, August 1985.)
"If they didn't know the right words, they wouldn't know the plan," taught President Ezra Taft Benson.
Self-esteem and unconditional love are not the right words. They are not part of the plan. In fact they go contrary to the designed purposes of the plan. They give false hope and comfort. And the result is counter to the Lord's purposes and plans for the salvation of His children. All this because we prefer the philosophies of men instead of a deep familiarity with the Lord's own words as given to us by prophets ancient and modern. Self-esteem and unconditional love are from the domain of natural man. They are antithetical to the nature of God and His restored gospel plan.
Basic to a correct understanding of the plan is to accept that our natural fallen state is at odds with God's nature and character. Our fallen nature places us at enmity with God and His ways, indeed it makes us enemies to God. That should be enough to get our attention and place our faith and trust in Him instead of turning to the precepts of men. This is clearly taught in the Book of Mormon.
When we see this clearly, when we have this basic understanding of the plan, that we are placed here as a test to see if we will seek unto and obey the Lord in all things, and at all hazards, then we are in the path of the plan, the path of safety (see Abraham 3:24--5), and we will avoid the ideas of men at all costs.
Can you start to see why a deep familiarity with the holy scriptures is vital for our mortal journey?
These corrective ideas are based in the scriptures, and anyone with a working knowledge of the scriptures will hear echoes here of the word of the Lord. To further illustrate:
"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." This is from the Lord Jesus Christ as found in John 12. Do you think He knows something? Do you suspect He knows the big picture better than we do, this "Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief"?
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . .
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 14:27; 16:33, emphasis added).
Can you see the Lord Jesus' emphasis on Himself, on coming unto Him for our peace and comfort and consolation, and avoiding the world's ideas? Do you see it?
Remember too, "God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect" (JST Hebrews 11:40).
And from those with the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus: "The world today speaks a great deal about love, and it is sought for by many. But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love" (President Benson). Do your ideas about love have their origins in the world or in the restored gospel?
"We know that the God of Israel announced himself to be holy and declared for that reason his people must also be holy [Leviticus 19:2, see footnote a]. The followers of Christ were known as disciples, which means disciplined followers. No doctrine was better understood among them than that no unclean thing can enter the presence of God. Everything in the law of Moses was designed to teach this, as are all the ordinances of the gospel known to the Saints of the New Testament. The fundamental doctrine of both the Old and New Testament is that we came into the world to fight against our fallen nature, not to fall in love with it" (JFMc, Agency, p. 89, emphasis added).
"The children of Zion love in proportion to the heavenly knowledge which they have received; for love keeps pace with knowledge, and as the one increases so does the other, and when knowledge is perfected, love will be perfected also" (Orson Pratt).
"I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved with a pureness, an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this grovelling sphere and expand it as the ocean . . . . In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also" (Parley P. Pratt).
"Our object is to strengthen faith, not to reinforce self-esteem" (Dallin H. Oaks).
"There must be decision of character, aside from sympathy" (Joseph Smith).
"There are even cases where our liking [someone] conflicts with our charity towards the person we like. For example, a doting mother may be tempted by natural affection to 'spoil' her child; that is, to gratify her own affectionate impulses at the expense of the child's real happiness later on" (C.S.Lewis).
In conclusion (for now), the biggest damage of self-esteem and unconditional love has been in our children. We thought we were doing the right thing, the kind and loving thing, by trying to protect our children from the trials and lessons of life, by indulging them---at home and in school---by rewarding them and praising them beyond all sense of their actual achievement, and in doing so we harmed them, as Jack Lewis describes in this final quote above.
For this reason, and because both of these false ideas have been so pervasive and universal among us, influencing and determining everything else we think about the gospel, it is vital for us to understand the true doctrine as it resides in the mind of our Father in heaven. How can we boldly claim such understanding? That is for you to find out. . . . But these things, as set forth here, are true and faithful, and approach the mind of God. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
More to be said on this, that's how important it is.
Steve
Friday, October 5, 2012
GIFTS: "My boy, I did." A Remarkable Account.
In the School of the Prophets in Kirtland the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates taught each other in 1834--35 broad and marvelous truths on faith, and on God, the object of that faith.
The Second Lecture taught how Adam and Eve before their Fall knew their God personally and intimately in the Garden and that they retained that knowledge after the Fall:
"The object of the foregoing quotations [from scripture] is to show to this class the way by which mankind were first made acquainted with the existence of a God; that it was by a manifestation of God to man, and that God continued, after man's transgression [the Fall], to manifest himself to him and to his posterity; and, notwithstanding they were separated from his immediate presence that they could not see his face, they continued to hear his voice.
"Adam, thus being made acquainted with God, communicated the knowledge which he had unto his posterity; and it was through this means that the thought was first suggested to their minds that there was a God, which laid the foundation for the exercise of their faith, through which they could obtain a knowledge of his character and also of his glory."
The Second Lecture continued:
"From this we can see that the whole human family in the early age of their existence, in all their different branches, had this knowledge disseminated among them; so that the existence of God became an object of faith in the early age of the world. And the evidences which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of their fathers in the first instance. . . .
"Let this class mark particularly, that the testimony which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of man . . . the whole faith of the world, from that time down to the present is in a certain degree dependent on the knowledge first communicated to them by their common progenitor [Adam]; and it has been handed down to the day and generation in which we live, . . . and we have seen [in this full Lecture] that it was human testimony, and human testimony only, that excited this inquiry in their minds [to seek after God]."
The Second Lecture taught how Adam and Eve before their Fall knew their God personally and intimately in the Garden and that they retained that knowledge after the Fall:
"The object of the foregoing quotations [from scripture] is to show to this class the way by which mankind were first made acquainted with the existence of a God; that it was by a manifestation of God to man, and that God continued, after man's transgression [the Fall], to manifest himself to him and to his posterity; and, notwithstanding they were separated from his immediate presence that they could not see his face, they continued to hear his voice.
"Adam, thus being made acquainted with God, communicated the knowledge which he had unto his posterity; and it was through this means that the thought was first suggested to their minds that there was a God, which laid the foundation for the exercise of their faith, through which they could obtain a knowledge of his character and also of his glory."
The Second Lecture continued:
"From this we can see that the whole human family in the early age of their existence, in all their different branches, had this knowledge disseminated among them; so that the existence of God became an object of faith in the early age of the world. And the evidences which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of their fathers in the first instance. . . .
"Let this class mark particularly, that the testimony which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of man . . . the whole faith of the world, from that time down to the present is in a certain degree dependent on the knowledge first communicated to them by their common progenitor [Adam]; and it has been handed down to the day and generation in which we live, . . . and we have seen [in this full Lecture] that it was human testimony, and human testimony only, that excited this inquiry in their minds [to seek after God]."
The following modern experience will verify the process described above. My Mum provided me with this profound experience in the
spring of 1979:
I was busy preparing for a seminary monthly meeting in the Preston
England stake. As usual I was pressed for time and needed no interruptions. Mum was staying with us for the weekend, and
she suddenly appeared at the doorway of my office.
“Ste, I know you’re busy, but can I just share something
with you?”
I hesitated for a moment; it crossed my mind for a split
second to say, “Mum, I’m really busy, I need to finish off here and be on my
way to the meeting.” But for some
reason, I didn’t say it. I just folded
my hands in my lap, swiveled round in my office chair, and gave Mum my full
attention.
She leaned in the doorway, a signal that this would be
brief, bless her heart, and she began:
“You know I was at Dave and Jean’s last week. Their home teacher came whilst I was there
--- Brother Cunningham.” I knew of
Brother Cunningham from our Dad when I was a small child, one of the solid
strong Saints of the British Isles. Mum continued:
“He told us of attending a Church meeting in London in the
1930s at which the speaker was James Henry Moyle. Brother Moyle spoke of visiting David
Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, at his home in
Richmond, Missouri, in 1885. In his
visit Brother Moyle said he asked him, ‘Brother Whitmer, I’m just a young man
and I don’t want to spend my life believing in something if it is not true: Did
you indeed see the plates and handle them, and see the angel, as you said?’
David Whitmer said in a sincere and earnest manner, ‘My boy, I did.’
“Brother Cunningham said he went up to Brother Moyle after
the meeting and said to him, ‘Brother Moyle, I’m just a young man who recently
joined the Church and I don’t want to be deceived either. Did you indeed ask
David Whitmer that question and get the answer you said he gave?’ James Henry
Moyle looked at Brother Cunningham intently and said, ‘My boy, I did.’”
I sat quietly as Mum finished the story, thrilled by the
Spirit of the truth of it. Then I had to
ask:
“Mum, did you indeed hear Brother Cunningham give this
account of his conversation with James Henry Moyle of his interview with David
Whitmer?”
Mum smiled and said, “Ste, I did,” with a chuckle as she saw
that my question fitted the pattern of this remarkable series of encounters.
I shared that experience with the young seminary students in
the meeting that afternoon. It was the highlight of our lesson. They got the point. Now they know too. And so
do you.
“My boy, I did.”
There is one more thing to add: The Lectures on Faith each conclude with a series of Questions and Answers by way of review. To end this Second Lecture:
"What testimony have men, in the first instance, that there is a God? Human testimony, and human testimony only. . . .
"Is the knowledge of the existence of God a matter of mere tradition, founded upon human testimony alone, until persons receive a manifestation of God to themselves? It is."
As Mormon would say, "Thus we see" that it is not enough to merely rely on human testimony---profound as it is--- but that we must each get a manifestation, a revelation for ourselves that the work is true, that the Book of Mormon is true, to add to these remarkable experiences and testimonies of other humans.
So that we can say to our children, "My boy . . . my girl, I did."
God bless.
Steve
Monday, September 24, 2012
GIFTS: I Wondered If the Gentiles Ever Danced with Their Bible
As Summer gives way to Autumn it is a lovely time of the year. The days are growing shorter and cooler, the brightness of the summer sun is mellowing, there is a nip in the evening air, apples and pears are fast ripening: it is the time of harvest.
As we write, Yom Kippur is just hours away (the Day of Atonement, the most holy day in the Jewish calendar, the one day in the year when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people of Israel: a clear type of Christ).
The Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of Fall and reminds us of the many significant things that have happened in Church history at this time of year, like Moroni's annual visits to Joseph and the removing from the Cumorah earth of the gold plates, precious for what they contain and teach, not for their considerable karat value.
This year, October 1st is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or of Ingathering, called by the New Testament Jews simply, "the Feast, and reckoned by them to be the greatest and most joyful of all" (see the LDS Bible Dictionary, page 673).
With this as an introduction, we think there is a quiet power in the following extract. See if you agree:--
"I remember the night in the second week of October when we danced with the Torah scrolls in our little synagogue. It was the night of Simchat Torah, the festival that celebrates the completion of the annual cycle of Torah readings. The last portion of the Five Books of Moses would be read the next morning.
"The little synagogue was crowded and tumultuous with joy. I remember the white-bearded Torah reader dancing with one of the heavy scrolls as if he had miraculously shed his years. My father and uncle danced for what seemed to me to be an interminable length of time, circling about one another with their Torah scrolls, advancing upon one another, backing off, singing.
"Saul and Alex and I danced too. I relinquished my Torah to someone in the crowd, then stood around watching and dancing. It grew warm inside the small room and I went through the crowd and out the rear door to the back porch. I stood in the darkness and let the air cool my face.
"I could feel the floor of the porch vibrating to the dancing inside the synagogue. It was a windy fall night, the air clean, the sky vast and filled with stars. The noise of the singing and dancing came clearly through the open window of the synagogue. An old cycle ending; a new cycle beginning. Tomorrow morning Moses would die, and the old man would read the words recounting his death; a few minutes later he would read the first chapter and the beginning three verses of the second chapter of Genesis. Death and birth without separation. Endings leading to beginnings.
"And then, on Shabbat, he would read all of the first portion of the Book of Genesis: the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel. And the following Shabbat he would read the story of Noah and the Flood. And then Abraham and Sarah and the Covenant and Isaac and the sacrifice and Rebecca and Jacob and Esau and Joseph and . . . .
"The noise inside the synagogue poured out into the night, an undulating, swelling and receding and thinning and growing sound. The joy of dancing with the Torah, holding it close to you, the words of God to Moses at Sinai. I wondered if Gentiles ever danced with their Bible. Hey, Tony. Do you ever dance with your Bible?
"I had actually spoken the question. I heard the words in the cool dark air. I had not thought to do that. I had not even thought of Tony---yes, I remembered his name: Tony Savanola. I had not thought of him in years. Where was he now? Fighting in the war probably. Or studying for the priesthood and deferred from the draft as I was. Hey, Tony. Do you ever read your Bible? Do you ever hold it to you and know how much you love it? Do Christian Bible scholars write about Jesus the same way they write about Abraham? Do they say it's all only stories? Hey, Tony?"
(Chaim Potok, In the Beginning, pp. 382--83, and with thanks to Dean.)
As we write, Yom Kippur is just hours away (the Day of Atonement, the most holy day in the Jewish calendar, the one day in the year when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people of Israel: a clear type of Christ).
The Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of Fall and reminds us of the many significant things that have happened in Church history at this time of year, like Moroni's annual visits to Joseph and the removing from the Cumorah earth of the gold plates, precious for what they contain and teach, not for their considerable karat value.
This year, October 1st is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or of Ingathering, called by the New Testament Jews simply, "the Feast, and reckoned by them to be the greatest and most joyful of all" (see the LDS Bible Dictionary, page 673).
With this as an introduction, we think there is a quiet power in the following extract. See if you agree:--
"I remember the night in the second week of October when we danced with the Torah scrolls in our little synagogue. It was the night of Simchat Torah, the festival that celebrates the completion of the annual cycle of Torah readings. The last portion of the Five Books of Moses would be read the next morning.
"The little synagogue was crowded and tumultuous with joy. I remember the white-bearded Torah reader dancing with one of the heavy scrolls as if he had miraculously shed his years. My father and uncle danced for what seemed to me to be an interminable length of time, circling about one another with their Torah scrolls, advancing upon one another, backing off, singing.
"Saul and Alex and I danced too. I relinquished my Torah to someone in the crowd, then stood around watching and dancing. It grew warm inside the small room and I went through the crowd and out the rear door to the back porch. I stood in the darkness and let the air cool my face.
"I could feel the floor of the porch vibrating to the dancing inside the synagogue. It was a windy fall night, the air clean, the sky vast and filled with stars. The noise of the singing and dancing came clearly through the open window of the synagogue. An old cycle ending; a new cycle beginning. Tomorrow morning Moses would die, and the old man would read the words recounting his death; a few minutes later he would read the first chapter and the beginning three verses of the second chapter of Genesis. Death and birth without separation. Endings leading to beginnings.
"And then, on Shabbat, he would read all of the first portion of the Book of Genesis: the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel. And the following Shabbat he would read the story of Noah and the Flood. And then Abraham and Sarah and the Covenant and Isaac and the sacrifice and Rebecca and Jacob and Esau and Joseph and . . . .
"The noise inside the synagogue poured out into the night, an undulating, swelling and receding and thinning and growing sound. The joy of dancing with the Torah, holding it close to you, the words of God to Moses at Sinai. I wondered if Gentiles ever danced with their Bible. Hey, Tony. Do you ever dance with your Bible?
"I had actually spoken the question. I heard the words in the cool dark air. I had not thought to do that. I had not even thought of Tony---yes, I remembered his name: Tony Savanola. I had not thought of him in years. Where was he now? Fighting in the war probably. Or studying for the priesthood and deferred from the draft as I was. Hey, Tony. Do you ever read your Bible? Do you ever hold it to you and know how much you love it? Do Christian Bible scholars write about Jesus the same way they write about Abraham? Do they say it's all only stories? Hey, Tony?"
(Chaim Potok, In the Beginning, pp. 382--83, and with thanks to Dean.)
GIFTS: Are You Ready for General Conference?
President George Q. Cannon said :
"I have noticed . . . that where the people of God pay attention to the written word, and cherish and observe the written word, they are always better prepared to hear the oral instructions of the servants of God. . . . They have greater interest in seeking to obtain oral instructions, than they have when they are careless about the written word of God" (Conference Report, Oct. 1897, p. 38).
Semiannual general conference is on the first weekend in October. How appropriate to honor the Lord Jesus Christ by giving close attention to His servants the prophets. He said, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself . . . my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
Notice President Cannon's choice of words : "pay attention to the written word . . . cherish and observe" it. There is always a price to pay. And in thus paying it, we show Whom we really cherish, Whom we really worship and reverence, where our priorities and loyalties really lie. Think too of the price He paid to make the gospel of redemption available to us. The least we can do is pay close attention to His word. Those who pay this price in the scriptures between conferences will be rewarded with a feast at conference. It's the Law of the Harvest.
The prophet and man of God, Job, said, "I have esteemed the words of his [the Lord's] mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). This has something to do with ". . . hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 12:6). A good teacher will urge the students to have their glasses turned up the right way in order to receive the living water of the gospel in the class instruction. You can't get water into a glass or cup that is turned upside down.
President Brigham Young used to counsel the Saints to be sure to have their minds present in the meeting as they were taught by the servants of the Lord --- to focus, to concentrate, to pay the price mentally. That is one way we can worship and love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. And there is no better way to make that preparation than to "cherish and observe the written word" in readiness for feasting on the word of God as delivered by His servants live and in person. This will stir the promptings of the Holy Ghost within us.
All of this will have a sanctifying, cleansing effect upon us, and will keep us unspotted from the world, as we seek to be healed from the earth stains we discussed last week.
This doctrine is known as the doctrine of personal revelation. And it is a three-legged stool : the holy prophets, the holy scriptures, and the Holy Ghost. Have you ever tried to sit on a two-legged stool? Hard or nearly impossible to balance. A one-legged stool? We need to hear and be fed by those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators as well as we need to be nourished by the words of Christ in the scriptures, all of it sanctioned and brought to us by the Holy Ghost (see 2 Nephi 32:1--7). These three sources --- the prophets, the scriptures, the Spirit of the Lord.
Elder Boyd K. Packer was asked, "How do you know when you are getting revelation through the Holy Ghost, and it is not just you making it up?" Elder Packer, himself a prophet, seer, and revelator, answered with one word, "Practice." Practice indeed! Even prophets have never found it easy to draw down inspiration and revelation. They too have to pay an ongoing price in diligent searching, feasting, obedience and focus. Ask them, they will tell you this is so. They serve as models and examples of all we can and should be. Even now they will be wrestling and striving to get in tune and in unity with Him, that they might deliver in a few days' time. The scriptures and serious prayer will be a central part of their preparation. We might do well to pray for them in their preparation, and pay a similar price ourselves so that we can meet together --- we three --- the prophets, the Holy Ghost, and we --- on equal terms next weekend at general conference.
"I have noticed . . . that where the people of God pay attention to the written word, and cherish and observe the written word, they are always better prepared to hear the oral instructions of the servants of God. . . . They have greater interest in seeking to obtain oral instructions, than they have when they are careless about the written word of God" (Conference Report, Oct. 1897, p. 38).
Semiannual general conference is on the first weekend in October. How appropriate to honor the Lord Jesus Christ by giving close attention to His servants the prophets. He said, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself . . . my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
Notice President Cannon's choice of words : "pay attention to the written word . . . cherish and observe" it. There is always a price to pay. And in thus paying it, we show Whom we really cherish, Whom we really worship and reverence, where our priorities and loyalties really lie. Think too of the price He paid to make the gospel of redemption available to us. The least we can do is pay close attention to His word. Those who pay this price in the scriptures between conferences will be rewarded with a feast at conference. It's the Law of the Harvest.
The prophet and man of God, Job, said, "I have esteemed the words of his [the Lord's] mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). This has something to do with ". . . hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 12:6). A good teacher will urge the students to have their glasses turned up the right way in order to receive the living water of the gospel in the class instruction. You can't get water into a glass or cup that is turned upside down.
President Brigham Young used to counsel the Saints to be sure to have their minds present in the meeting as they were taught by the servants of the Lord --- to focus, to concentrate, to pay the price mentally. That is one way we can worship and love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. And there is no better way to make that preparation than to "cherish and observe the written word" in readiness for feasting on the word of God as delivered by His servants live and in person. This will stir the promptings of the Holy Ghost within us.
All of this will have a sanctifying, cleansing effect upon us, and will keep us unspotted from the world, as we seek to be healed from the earth stains we discussed last week.
This doctrine is known as the doctrine of personal revelation. And it is a three-legged stool : the holy prophets, the holy scriptures, and the Holy Ghost. Have you ever tried to sit on a two-legged stool? Hard or nearly impossible to balance. A one-legged stool? We need to hear and be fed by those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators as well as we need to be nourished by the words of Christ in the scriptures, all of it sanctioned and brought to us by the Holy Ghost (see 2 Nephi 32:1--7). These three sources --- the prophets, the scriptures, the Spirit of the Lord.
Elder Boyd K. Packer was asked, "How do you know when you are getting revelation through the Holy Ghost, and it is not just you making it up?" Elder Packer, himself a prophet, seer, and revelator, answered with one word, "Practice." Practice indeed! Even prophets have never found it easy to draw down inspiration and revelation. They too have to pay an ongoing price in diligent searching, feasting, obedience and focus. Ask them, they will tell you this is so. They serve as models and examples of all we can and should be. Even now they will be wrestling and striving to get in tune and in unity with Him, that they might deliver in a few days' time. The scriptures and serious prayer will be a central part of their preparation. We might do well to pray for them in their preparation, and pay a similar price ourselves so that we can meet together --- we three --- the prophets, the Holy Ghost, and we --- on equal terms next weekend at general conference.
Sabbathought: He Who Chops His Own Wood Is Twice Warmed, so he won't end up stupid and cold
In the 1960s Elder Harold B. Lee spoke to a group of priesthood
leaders in Salt Lake City. He told of a Bishop on his way home from a
meeting who got a flat tire (tyre for readers in Britain!)). As he took
off the wheel to replace the flat with the spare, he accidentally
kicked the hub cap where he had put the four lug nuts and they were
lost in the snow at the side of the road. A man happened along who
suggested he simply use one lug nut from each of the other three wheels
and attach the spare that way. "That is a brilliant idea," said the
bishop to the stranger, "thank you."
The stranger replied, "You're welcome. . . . By the way, my name is Ben, and I live in the insane asylum down the road. . . . But I want you to know that I'm there because I'm insane, not because I'm stupid." (Chuckles from the priesthood audience.)
Brother Lee then said to the assembled gathering, "Brethren, I want you to know we called you to this special meeting, not because you're insane. . . !" (More chuckles from the audience; they got the point!)
Have you wondered why we are studying basic Gospel Principles this year, from a manual that used to be for investigators and new members? President Monson has often said, "A frequent return to basics is essential to perpetuity [progress]." That is clearly one reason. Another reason may be that we are not insane. . . !
The Brethren have tried for many years to get the Saints to understand the deep things of God, by revelation and from the Bible and the scriptures of the Restoration, but still it is apparent today that this is not a doctrinal era in the Church, and that good gospel doctrine is the best-kept secret in the Church. And yet it is the source of truth and light and power for the struggles we each experience here in mortality.
Why would the Lord send a "telegram answer" to our urgent prayers if we have neglected or ignored the letters He has sent to us while we are away from Home? It is wise to think of prayer as our means of speaking with Father. It is equally wise to think of the scriptures as the source when we want to hear Him speaking to us.
The theme on the cover of the Gospel Principles manual is from 1 Nephi 15:14 and reinforces all we are saying here. There is an urgent need to "come to the knowledge of [our] Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that [we] may know how to come unto him. . . ."
Another six or seven passages in the revelations of the Restoration speak of "points of doctrine" and their import. (The phrase is not found in the Bible.) . . . What is a "very point" of doctrine? . . . Will approximate doctrine be enough?
Robert J. Matthews taught: "The dictionary defines a 'point' as: a penetrating detail, a precise concept; a prominent or important item; the 'telling part' of an argument or discussion; the salient feature; the precise thing; the 'turning point'" (17 February 1989).
When we see that the word "repent" in scripture (Hebrew or Greek or English) means "turn" or "change" (see, for example, Matthew 3:2, footnote a), as in "turn your heart to God", it becomes clear that there is a depth of understanding about the wonderful doctrine of repentance that likely eludes us unless and until we go deep to the "very point" and purpose of repentance. Most of us see repentance as a negative word, to be avoided, instead of as the wonderful gift that has been made available to us in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Indeed, as Paul wrote, there is a repentance that is "not to be repented of", which has its origin in "godly sorrow" not in the "sorrow of the world" (see 2 Corinthians 7:9--10).
That is a perfect example of a very point of His doctrine, "as contrasted to a teaching that is vague, undefined, ambiguous, uncertain, fuzzy, foggy, obscure, and unfocused" (Brother Matthews). Surely the Lord expects us to learn the very points of His doctrine, and, as Brother Matthews points out, "the Book of Mormon is the principal means that he has provided to accomplish it." With a firm and sound understanding from the Book of Mormon (Sunday School course of study for 2008 and 2012), it will be possible for us to see the very points of His doctrine in the Old Testament (the Sunday School course of study for this year, 2010, and for 2014), as we use the Book of Mormon as a lens---or as a Urim and Thummim---through which to see the doctrine in the Old Testament more clearly. And that the doctrine of the Old Testament is the doctrine of Christ.
We seem a bit suspicious of the word "doctrine". My son-in-law, Barry, some years ago said to me, "Steve, when you speak of doctrine the Saints think you are speaking of some obscure passage back in Leviticus!" But the word "doctrine" is the right word. It evokes "the doctrine of Christ" as we see in the Book of Mormon, a book of plainness, and is the means of our learning of Him and coming unto Him. . . . There is no other way, for the Lord "doth not walk in crooked paths" and "it must needs be done in mine own way", for, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". Why do you suppose it is called "the doctrine of Christ"?
If an engineer planned and built a bridge on the assumption that pi is 3.0, instead of 3.14159265, the bridge would not hold. The illustration holds true for the doctrines of the kingdom of God. It is a very point of true engineering to get the construction plan right. It is a very point of true doctrine to do the same with the gospel plan. . . . The word "sin" in Greek (New Testament)---hamartano---literally means "to miss the mark". . . . To miss the point, when it is given unto us, in scripture, in plainness, even as plain as word can be. But it has to be dug out, for it is deep, and the word "read" is in the same family as the word "riddle".
There is much to say to illustrate this important point. For now, it is worth considering that the truths of the scriptures are not easily available, that a price has to be paid, even by prophets, to get the truths of the gospel---the doctrines of the kingdom---so deep into our souls that they come out in our character, and in our countenances, and in our teaching. It is all a part of working out our salvation (see Philippians 2:12; also Alma 34:37), while relying wholly on the merits of Him who is mighty to save.
We have to pay the price to study and learn these things; none of them come to us automatically. For he who chops his own wood is twice warmed. And we don't want to end up stupid and cold, deprived of the fire of His Spirit.
More on this later.
The stranger replied, "You're welcome. . . . By the way, my name is Ben, and I live in the insane asylum down the road. . . . But I want you to know that I'm there because I'm insane, not because I'm stupid." (Chuckles from the priesthood audience.)
Brother Lee then said to the assembled gathering, "Brethren, I want you to know we called you to this special meeting, not because you're insane. . . !" (More chuckles from the audience; they got the point!)
Have you wondered why we are studying basic Gospel Principles this year, from a manual that used to be for investigators and new members? President Monson has often said, "A frequent return to basics is essential to perpetuity [progress]." That is clearly one reason. Another reason may be that we are not insane. . . !
The Brethren have tried for many years to get the Saints to understand the deep things of God, by revelation and from the Bible and the scriptures of the Restoration, but still it is apparent today that this is not a doctrinal era in the Church, and that good gospel doctrine is the best-kept secret in the Church. And yet it is the source of truth and light and power for the struggles we each experience here in mortality.
Why would the Lord send a "telegram answer" to our urgent prayers if we have neglected or ignored the letters He has sent to us while we are away from Home? It is wise to think of prayer as our means of speaking with Father. It is equally wise to think of the scriptures as the source when we want to hear Him speaking to us.
The theme on the cover of the Gospel Principles manual is from 1 Nephi 15:14 and reinforces all we are saying here. There is an urgent need to "come to the knowledge of [our] Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that [we] may know how to come unto him. . . ."
Another six or seven passages in the revelations of the Restoration speak of "points of doctrine" and their import. (The phrase is not found in the Bible.) . . . What is a "very point" of doctrine? . . . Will approximate doctrine be enough?
Robert J. Matthews taught: "The dictionary defines a 'point' as: a penetrating detail, a precise concept; a prominent or important item; the 'telling part' of an argument or discussion; the salient feature; the precise thing; the 'turning point'" (17 February 1989).
When we see that the word "repent" in scripture (Hebrew or Greek or English) means "turn" or "change" (see, for example, Matthew 3:2, footnote a), as in "turn your heart to God", it becomes clear that there is a depth of understanding about the wonderful doctrine of repentance that likely eludes us unless and until we go deep to the "very point" and purpose of repentance. Most of us see repentance as a negative word, to be avoided, instead of as the wonderful gift that has been made available to us in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Indeed, as Paul wrote, there is a repentance that is "not to be repented of", which has its origin in "godly sorrow" not in the "sorrow of the world" (see 2 Corinthians 7:9--10).
That is a perfect example of a very point of His doctrine, "as contrasted to a teaching that is vague, undefined, ambiguous, uncertain, fuzzy, foggy, obscure, and unfocused" (Brother Matthews). Surely the Lord expects us to learn the very points of His doctrine, and, as Brother Matthews points out, "the Book of Mormon is the principal means that he has provided to accomplish it." With a firm and sound understanding from the Book of Mormon (Sunday School course of study for 2008 and 2012), it will be possible for us to see the very points of His doctrine in the Old Testament (the Sunday School course of study for this year, 2010, and for 2014), as we use the Book of Mormon as a lens---or as a Urim and Thummim---through which to see the doctrine in the Old Testament more clearly. And that the doctrine of the Old Testament is the doctrine of Christ.
We seem a bit suspicious of the word "doctrine". My son-in-law, Barry, some years ago said to me, "Steve, when you speak of doctrine the Saints think you are speaking of some obscure passage back in Leviticus!" But the word "doctrine" is the right word. It evokes "the doctrine of Christ" as we see in the Book of Mormon, a book of plainness, and is the means of our learning of Him and coming unto Him. . . . There is no other way, for the Lord "doth not walk in crooked paths" and "it must needs be done in mine own way", for, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". Why do you suppose it is called "the doctrine of Christ"?
If an engineer planned and built a bridge on the assumption that pi is 3.0, instead of 3.14159265, the bridge would not hold. The illustration holds true for the doctrines of the kingdom of God. It is a very point of true engineering to get the construction plan right. It is a very point of true doctrine to do the same with the gospel plan. . . . The word "sin" in Greek (New Testament)---hamartano---literally means "to miss the mark". . . . To miss the point, when it is given unto us, in scripture, in plainness, even as plain as word can be. But it has to be dug out, for it is deep, and the word "read" is in the same family as the word "riddle".
There is much to say to illustrate this important point. For now, it is worth considering that the truths of the scriptures are not easily available, that a price has to be paid, even by prophets, to get the truths of the gospel---the doctrines of the kingdom---so deep into our souls that they come out in our character, and in our countenances, and in our teaching. It is all a part of working out our salvation (see Philippians 2:12; also Alma 34:37), while relying wholly on the merits of Him who is mighty to save.
We have to pay the price to study and learn these things; none of them come to us automatically. For he who chops his own wood is twice warmed. And we don't want to end up stupid and cold, deprived of the fire of His Spirit.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
GIFTS: Undisputable evidence that we are in the Last Days . . .
. . . and that the scriptures are our only safety.
Some years ago (1977) Elder Boyd K. Packer (who turned 88 on Monday) spoke to seminary teachers about the origins of the seminary and institute programs of the Church.
President Wilford Woodruff in the 1890s had spoken of the need for such programs "to counter the effects of a Godless education."
Can you imagine him saying that in 1895!!!
Elder Packer: "These programs were started [in 1912] when they were nice but were not critically needed. They were granted a season to flourish and grow into a bulwark for the Church. They now become a godsend for the salvation of modern Israel in a most challenging hour. [Remember this is being spoken over a generation ago---1977.]
"We are now encircled. Our youth are in desperate jeopardy. These are the last days foreseen by prophets in ancient times.
"I will read one clear, descriptive, accurate prophecy, so old as to be ancient but so timely that evidence of every statement can be seen in today's news releases.
"'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
"'For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents [can you imagine that being prophesied?], unthankful, unholy,
"'Without natural affection [we see a tidal wave of sexual perversion now sweeping in around us, to say nothing of the hideous specter of child abuse that now is becoming common even among our people], truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
"'Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
"'Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.
"[When you think of what is happening in society today, the next verse has tremendous meaning.]
"'For of this sort are they which creep into houses [even the White House in the 1990s---and beyond?], and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
"'Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Timothy 3:1--7, emphasis added).
Elder Packer continued:
"That prophetic description of our day is accurate. The evil circumstances it describes encircle every student you teach.
"While studying one day, I read to that point and sat pondering about all the evidence that now confirms every element in that prophecy. [See the link to the online Drudge Report back in the e-mail introducing this post.] There was a mood of very deep gloom and foreboding, a very ominous feeling of frustration, almost futility. I glanced down the page, and one word stood out, not accidently I think. I read it eagerly and then discovered that the apostle who had prophesied all of that trouble had included in the same discourse the immunization against all of it. Skipping a few verses, I will continue from the same chapter.
"'But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
"'But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
"'And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to . . . .'"
Able to what? What are the scriptures able to do --- with surety and certainty, that no other source is able to do?
This has become a lengthy post. We'll end it here. Search 2 Timothy chapter 3 to finish the story and to find the true power in the scriptures, as testified by Paul to Timothy, and by Boyd, and by me.
Paul was Timothy's great mentor, almost as a father to him. That is clear from "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned . . . knowing of whom thou hast learned them."
We all need a mentor. A teacher, one on whom we can rely, and whom we can trust (see Mosiah 23:14). One of my main mentors and teachers has been Elder Packer himself. And Alison and I have both told him so in personal correspondence, to which he graciously replied, being the man of God that he is.
The point of all this: the Lord Jesus as found in the scriptures, not the Jesus of folklore and of our own invention, is the only answer to all the filth and nonsense encircling our youth and us today.
The link to today's Drudge Report is meant to confirm these references to news releases and prove Paul's --- and Boyd's --- point. . . .
God bless.
Steve
Some years ago (1977) Elder Boyd K. Packer (who turned 88 on Monday) spoke to seminary teachers about the origins of the seminary and institute programs of the Church.
President Wilford Woodruff in the 1890s had spoken of the need for such programs "to counter the effects of a Godless education."
Can you imagine him saying that in 1895!!!
Elder Packer: "These programs were started [in 1912] when they were nice but were not critically needed. They were granted a season to flourish and grow into a bulwark for the Church. They now become a godsend for the salvation of modern Israel in a most challenging hour. [Remember this is being spoken over a generation ago---1977.]
"We are now encircled. Our youth are in desperate jeopardy. These are the last days foreseen by prophets in ancient times.
"I will read one clear, descriptive, accurate prophecy, so old as to be ancient but so timely that evidence of every statement can be seen in today's news releases.
"'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
"'For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents [can you imagine that being prophesied?], unthankful, unholy,
"'Without natural affection [we see a tidal wave of sexual perversion now sweeping in around us, to say nothing of the hideous specter of child abuse that now is becoming common even among our people], truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
"'Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
"'Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.
"[When you think of what is happening in society today, the next verse has tremendous meaning.]
"'For of this sort are they which creep into houses [even the White House in the 1990s---and beyond?], and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
"'Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Timothy 3:1--7, emphasis added).
Elder Packer continued:
"That prophetic description of our day is accurate. The evil circumstances it describes encircle every student you teach.
"While studying one day, I read to that point and sat pondering about all the evidence that now confirms every element in that prophecy. [See the link to the online Drudge Report back in the e-mail introducing this post.] There was a mood of very deep gloom and foreboding, a very ominous feeling of frustration, almost futility. I glanced down the page, and one word stood out, not accidently I think. I read it eagerly and then discovered that the apostle who had prophesied all of that trouble had included in the same discourse the immunization against all of it. Skipping a few verses, I will continue from the same chapter.
"'But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
"'But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
"'And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to . . . .'"
Able to what? What are the scriptures able to do --- with surety and certainty, that no other source is able to do?
This has become a lengthy post. We'll end it here. Search 2 Timothy chapter 3 to finish the story and to find the true power in the scriptures, as testified by Paul to Timothy, and by Boyd, and by me.
Paul was Timothy's great mentor, almost as a father to him. That is clear from "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned . . . knowing of whom thou hast learned them."
We all need a mentor. A teacher, one on whom we can rely, and whom we can trust (see Mosiah 23:14). One of my main mentors and teachers has been Elder Packer himself. And Alison and I have both told him so in personal correspondence, to which he graciously replied, being the man of God that he is.
The point of all this: the Lord Jesus as found in the scriptures, not the Jesus of folklore and of our own invention, is the only answer to all the filth and nonsense encircling our youth and us today.
The link to today's Drudge Report is meant to confirm these references to news releases and prove Paul's --- and Boyd's --- point. . . .
God bless.
Steve
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