“Emails asking for, God to Bless America and In God We Trust”

“Emails asking for, God to Bless America and In God We Trust”

cji
5/26/10


Currently many emails are circulating on the two basic ideas – asking for God’s Blessing on America or on others and “In God We Trust” – which have given me pause to reflect and comment. When the topics of asking for God’s Blessings and or to say, “In God We Trust” one must be very careful. As from the very beginning man/woman have hijacked both of these from the Scriptures and Truth – and applied them loosely within the world of their own making. Thus what follows is my thoughts on these two ideas and requests.

To understand from a Celestial or from Heavenly Father’s or his Only Begotten – Jesus Christ (our Lord and Savior) point of view should be the context of the usage and meaning of both Blessings and Trust. To do this is very interesting from several aspects – but not the ones normally thought to be the case. Thus I’ll try to proceed!

First, Heavenly Father and his Only Begotten do bless the righteous and these blessings are predicated upon obedience, chastity, honesty, service to others and to be found unspotted by the worldly. In fact we know from the Scriptures that on many occasions the Savior has interceded on our behalf for the Father’s Blessings in our lives. He does this because we are his – he gave his life that we might live eternally with him and the Father. He is the resurrection and the life – and we can all be like him – but it requires unquestioned obedience from each of individually.

There are over 426 direct usages of the word Blessings in the Scriptures (actually many more). These Scriptures define and show how blessings are earned and even abused and lost. The Scriptures clarify who is and who is not worthy of these divine favors. This is the subject of many of the revisions to the Bible and the understanding of men/women. Revision means to rewrite or redefine and is therefore to change or add to and/or take away.

This is what a blessing is, a Divine favor while in mortality or later in eternal life within the Celestial Kingdom (spoken of by Paul). It further is anything contributing to true happiness, well-being or prosperity while in this life or beyond (see guide to the Scriptures - http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gs/b/28). These blessings can only come from Heavenly Father – through his Only Begotten Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Now to say upon one another – God Bless You – is fine, however it is entirely predicated upon your or another’s worthiness. Heavenly Father and the Son have covenanted to Bless the Land we call America – and those righteous within this land. In this covenant relationship – the righteous covenanted in return to be worthy of these blessings all of the time! This same covenant is made with all of the lands and nations of the world and Islands of the seas – again predicated upon worthiness to receive such blessings. One would be ashamed to receive such blessings in an unworthy state – which much the nations and men/women find themselves in much of the time. Therefore in the usage of self-justification they seek to change and make general (not specific) the meaning and usage of this sacred pronouncement.

Who do we serve? Who do we pledge our allegiance to? Who do we make our covenants with? Who do we renew our covenants with? It should be noted that most of the world’s population have made no covenants with Heavenly Father or the Son – but with man/woman – governments – societies, etc. Yet the blessings they seek of a Divine nature can only come from the Father or the Son. Such is the state of things when seeking blessings – when one worships the things of the world – it’s governments, coinage, positions and whatever else is there – this does not ensure of them of any of God’s Blessings as so intended by what they say or proclaim!

Secondly – it was man/woman or better governments which put on our money, “In God We Trust” and therefore they can remove it as money is really the foremost tool of the adversity to detract from our purpose of being on this earth in mortal probation.

An excellent observation was when the Savior indicated a coin of the realm of Caesar when the many questioned him:

Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

The Savior was being truthful and was speaking not only to them but to all of us. Coinage is the things of the worldly and of governments – the images on them are of great men (some) and important personages to each nation’s history. Trusting in God is far more than simply saying it – or even promoting such an idea – for most people don’t trust in God either in or out of the Church! Most pray to the God they’ve been taught about – but then subject themselves to the peer pressures and things of material nature. We read in Isaiah 42:17:

42:17 ¶ They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

Is not the coinage and buildings part and parcel of governments and the worldly? Therefore what do we put our trust in? This is a very difficult question as most will put some trust in both the worldly and in Heavenly Father and his Son! One cannot serve two masters – and yet this is exactly what most in this world do – they serve both men – and then indicate that they serve their God(s).

Trusting is exactly that – to trust – have confidence in that whoever or whatever they trust will help them to return into the presence of the Father and the Son. Yet from almost all of the pulpits of the world this one single truth is not even taught – and if taught not really believed. One needs only to read the various creeds of men/women to understand that most have no comprehension that the Scriptures are to be taken literally and are not subject to revision or men/women’s wisdom of reasoning and philosophy. Thus many have no idea of what it means to ‘Trust in God’ as they do not understand who God is and our personal relationship to him.

Samuel understood this relationship – see 2 Samuel 22:

2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

Most will not understand to take this simple verse literally. The reason they do not is found in Mormon 9 (would advise one to read the whole chapter):

Mormon 9:20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

Trust is a word which expresses the following; Assurance, Believing In, Confidence, Faith and Hope. While with their voices most will profess all of these in relationship to Heavenly Father and the Son – most in their hearts question and blame. Most do not all they can do and then leave the rest to Father and our Elder Brother. Most do not give 100% of the credit for everything to the Father and the Son – many are prideful or their accomplishments. They seek the immediate rewards of money, fame, supposed happiness, etc. – some even before they perform any labor – and not the deferred blessings and rewards which are eternal.

Now for applications of the two above in a Celestial Law as found in Malachi – the Law of Tithing and Offerings:

The tithing is the 10th part which the Father and the Son require – see various Scriptures (Old and New) – as everything is theirs already! (Satan and his minions have nothing – except what they steal or someone entitles them to say they have to give or to use to tempt many to sell their souls for in return.) In reality men/women, governments, nations and others own nothing – it is all available and to be used for all mankind (which it isn’t as many horde or take or deny what they’ve acquired and thus create the haves and have-nots). This world was created with enough for everyone – and if one remembers James 1:27 of what pure religion is – then one should have no misunderstandings about what one is to do in this world. What many mistake for their own is simply a stewardship for which there to fulfill this Scripture. To some are doctors, teachers, laborers, administrators, etc. yet all is to build up – not to unequally destroy some at the benefit of others.

What Father and the Son require from each of us is 1/10th of our increase! It used to be done in kind – and then in script or money and was used for the building up of the Kingdom here on Earth. Initially many of the early Saints gave 90% especially in the building of the Kirkland and Nauvoo Temples! Tithing is an eternal principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – Adam and Eve paid tithes and offerings – Able did – and Cain fabricated his. Abraham paid his to the High Priest Melchizedek.

It is part of the eternal law of finance that the Father and the Son fully demand our obedience – and provide a multitude of Blessings for this obedience when we’re found doing so. We’ve learned over the years that paying tithing is one of the most ‘selfish’ things which we do – smile. For in doing so with a willing heart – the blessings we’ve received in return have been overwhelming. There are many promises (covenants) with the paying of an ‘honest’ tithe – and great penalties associated with not paying them. See Doctrine and Covenants 119:
Doctrine and Covenants 119:3 And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. 4 And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord. 5 Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.
Some call it fire insurance as the Scriptures talk about honest tithe payers not being burned as stubble in the last days. See Doctrine and Covenants 64:

Doctrine and Covenants 64:23 Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.

Simply it’s a law which is lived by obedience on the part of each individual. A self-discipline which shows full trust and faith in the Father and the Son. In return the windows of heaven are opened unto us individually and as a family. It’s one of those things which we just do! When writing out our bills on the 1st of the month – we write the tithing check and add with it our monthly fast offering.

As to the fast offering it is supposed to be the cost of two meals from which one fasted from once a month. For years we’ve paid the same amount – sometimes when things are better we put in more. Now this is not the cost of the two meals Joyce and I might miss but what is a generous fast offering for us. In addition, we do a lot of ‘in kind’ offerings of food, clothing and other items – computers, etc. to those in need. Some Bishops acknowledge this and others don’t’ – really doesn’t matter. People need clothing and food - not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At times when there is drought and famine – it is said, “How do you feel the Lord took 90% this year and left you with the 1/10th?”

It’s a law of fullness – many try to whittle down to the pennies – to be exact – while others do what they can – many members of the Church where there is no one authorized to accept the tithes and offerings – the members will put away their tithes and offerings until one does come.

Some in paying their tithes and offerings have little left – and this is where the Lord steps in and takes care of them – over and over this can be found – in too many situations to be by chance.

The true law of financial well being is to be a full tithe payer. Over the years I’ve been assigned to help families in debt – or struggling – and my first question to the Bishop is always the same, “Are they full tithe payers?” Now he doesn’t need to answer me or should he – but he can authorize me to ask them. This authorization is extremely important! When I ask and they say they are not – then I’ve to explain to them the importance of being such. Interestingly many stop coming to Church and most never return. Remember the young man who came unto Christ and asked about what he needed to do to follow him? To go and sell all he owned and give unto the needy and then come follow him. And the young man went away sorrowful as he had much. Yes this has to do with the law of Consecration – but it also has to do with tithing and offerings – for if one can’t live the easier law, how can they live the higher law? Much of the trials and tribulations of the early Saints was because they could not live these laws. (Reference Doctrine and Covenants 101-104.)

Blessings are predicated on obedience – and obedience is predicated upon a willingness to follow the Father and the Son – having trust in them in all things.

Therefore, we must each carefully consider what we’re saying or promoting when forwarding various emails – which usually tell at the bottom – we’re being part of the problem if we don’t forward. This is not the case – one should not forward to others that which is not clearly understood and part of their individual belief system. God will not bless the unrighteous or the wicked – he cannot – for he has covenanted to bless the righteous.

To say, “In God We Trust” – we should fully acknowledge who we’re addressing this trust to and why! In addition we must absolutely understand that much of today’s world there is neither belief in or trust in God – especially the Father and the Son. Governments, nations and people therefore do not adhere to the belief that the Bible is a literal document – a collection of the various writers of former Prophets of the Lord Jesus Christ. To them it is simply a tool to control the masses – a unification for their power and dominion. One need only look upon the 3rd and 4th Centuries – or some of the modern religions of the period since these two centuries.

Go on your Internet – read the creeds and beliefs of all of the differing churches – you need to do this – it’s important that you know what is being taught as a belief system – by either your church or others. Then if the idea of God Blessing America and In God We Trust – are part and parcel of your individual belief system as explained by your church of choice then forward these on to others. However, if not consider what you are saying and what you really believe.

Understand I like these sends – they are uplifting – my blood flows red, white and blue – but there is much more to these.


“Beliefs”

cji
5/26/10

Predicated upon obedience
willingly and without doubt
seriously reflecting intent
understanding covenants
seeking to know the truth
deeply committed to return
knowing our home before
to be our home once more;

Thus we hold the knowledge
tested and proven of worth
inviting us to be one again
taking us to where we began
finding faith and assurance
putting our trust in the Lord
blessing those in need
promptings forever to heed!


Copyright © 2010 – cji

"Enduring" (short essay)

Does anyone see where the present situations in the world are leading? China, Iran, Islamic Madness, North Korea and so much more going on in the world – chaos – added upon chaos – and at the least we’ve an Administration which leading the choir if not conducting the band. Their absolute apathy in supporting our Constitution – supposedly their Constitution – seeking every means to bring our nation – our laws – our people into the lowest form of poverty in human spirit!

We’ve the makings of a Trojan horse in our midst and none appear to be doing anything about it except letting the occupants free to do as they will with our nation! Yet this is a chosen Nation – and a divinely inspired Constitution – where freedom will not be taken away. UNLESS – the men and women of this nation turn their collective backs on the Father and the Son! We’ve many good and righteous men and women in this nation – and many throughout the world. But their voices are being compromised and many are siding with the many rather than the few who will remain forever fast to their covenants and desire to do the Father and the Son’s will instead of their own.

Some take this rather lightly the idea of covenants and covenant making – thinking – that things will be okay – what’s so important about religion or even about Heavenly Father – and the Savior! Most consider that they’re saved or that they believe and that this is enough and they’ll protect us in America. I’m sure there were many in Sodom and Gomorrah who felt much the same way. Nations can die in many ways – death from within is usually the normal procedure for those used to power, wealth and a good success trail in history. Many actually feel someone else will protect their freedoms and therefore – they don’t need to be concerned.

Many question the need for a Prophet or Apostles – they’ve ministers/priests/ or other professional clergy to take care of their spiritual needs and to leave them alone. However, there’s always been a Prophet and Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ on this earth – ALWAYS. Even a Prophet without honor is still a Prophet in the same way to the people – and always a Prophet to the Father and the Son. We can find many examples in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon of Prophets who were stoned – ignored and spit upon. So today in many parts of the world and in the United States especially we find this to be the case – the ignored part – combined with ridicule – and constant death threats is part and parcel of those with this calling in the Church today.

Yes – and some of this has come from those within and without the Church of the Savior over the history of this earth. Even today over the years of the restoration - there have been those who’ve apostatized from the Church who were directly responsible for the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother Hiram. In addition, there have been many weeding outs. (Note: those who left the Church due to the persecution or for other personal reasons – unable to live to the covenants they made.) Among these were Kirkland – Missouri – Nauvoo – Utah – and there are still others to come – and some going on now! We’ve many who find justifications for almost anything they want to do – we find those who murmur about the repeated talks on chastity – obedience – virtue – truthfulness – keeping the Sabbath Day Holy – and these are only some of the issues members and non-members seem to feel it’s okay to issue with.

None of us are new to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – and we need never be afraid to speak what we know to be true. We should not allow others to murmur in our presence about the principles of righteousness. When Joyce and I first joined the Church many or our friends called us ‘do-gooders’ or ‘goody two shoes’ and that after a while it would wear off and we would go back to the way we once lived. With this warning – we both determined it would not wear off but become stronger. Yes we’ve had many trials – tribulations – times when we’ve not been as strong as we could or should’ve been – but we’ve repented often (smile) – used to tell people I felt like Maria at times with some of the brothers in leadership positions.

Further I believe the one being spoken of is the active members of the Church and in our communities as being one with each other! Active means those who are striving to live all of the Commandments especially the first two – and being found doing the Father and the Savior’s will – not ours!

We’ve to remember in this type of obedience one actually is given more and more agency – smile – for by being obedient for the right reasons and at the right times – one finds that they open many more windows in their lives and those of their loved ones. Too many miss this simple procedure of blessings.

We know from the Prophets that there are very dark days ahead (read Isaiah 13/3rd Nephi/ and any part of Revelations – as there have been in the past. We’ve to endure – meaning to keep the covenants we’ve made with the Father and the Son. Each of the Apostles and the Disciples knew enduring to the end meant without murmuring – doubt – selfishness – and being happy in the peace which the truth (the Savior) makes in our individual and collective lives. Many are proclaiming, “The truth shall set you free!” without really knowing what it means. They’ve the secular understanding – but there’s a much deeper understanding – which those who’ve covenanted with the Lord will learn to understand.

Hopefully we each can endure – finding strength in our individual and collective testimonies of the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ – amen – c/ork
“Enduring”

cji
5/20/10

Holding fast to the Word
knowing it to be truth all
found in prayer and belief
a safe haven in the storm
battering waves of brutality
with hands held tight now
finding strength all about
yet to see others fall away
we must never give up
as the followers of Christ
enduring without waiver!


Copyright © 2010 – cji

“The Tragedy” cji 5/17/10

“The Tragedy” cji 5/17/10

Currently in the US and the World we've many who want nothing more than to destroy freedom of any kind - in any way that they can. China by the normal lies and guile - giving weapons and support to anyone who'll engage in military actions - sometimes feeding both sides. North Korea as China's hired gun in both killing - reckless provocations - and supplying illegal arms and technical data to hostile nations to any sort of freedom. Mexican Leaders and former citizens of Mexico who've attained high positions of responsibility in the US striving to take over all of the South Western United States - demanding everything free the US will give to them and threatening any who stand in their way. Mexico indeed and those of Mexican descent are feeding those who will do their will and commit crimes of any kind. Lastly the Jihad movement of the Islamic Terrorist and they're webs of supporter who claim to be of the Islam Faith - even the President of the US - fostering the worldwide takeover of everyone and everybody by any means possible.

If this were a world cup event it might get more attention. We'd have the first round of Mexico versus Islamic Terrorists - while China would host North Korea. Then we'd have China hosting Islamic Terrorists. King of the hill - repeated over and over in history till there's only one - and then the rebellion starts from within once more. If one is wondering where the others teams are in this playoff - by default the US - Europe - Africa - Australia - the Islands of the Seas and all others were eliminated by seeking a peaceful means to maintain their freedoms. Weakness in this contest is only submission and to be eliminated by forfeit. A good friend has also described this as the Chinese game of 'Go'. Some have called it the game of 'Risk'. Actually it's no game but one of warfare - where the adversary holds all of the worldly and mortal cards.

Most of the world/worldly have turned their backs on the literal belief of the Scriptures - the teachings of the Prophets - the Commandments of the Father and the Son - thus negating any role of a 'pure religion.' Instead have substituted Greek Philosophy or Worldly way of belief which by its very nature is pure Lucifer and his Plan. A Plan which was rejected in the Pre-existence is the common belief of the worldly. By denying the Scriptures of their literalness - they've negated all truth and wisdom of Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son - Jesus the Christ.

Thus we've the tragedy of what's being taught in our places of learning - either schools or places of worship. To teach that an earth upon which we reside is made from nothing - which makes no sense when one reads the Scriptures - and that Our Heavenly Father - and his Son our Savior Jesus Christ - have no body, parts or passions - and that we will not be reunited with them and our families after this mortal existence is the tragedy.

Now the Scriptures are quite clear on all that is happening today in our time and seasons. The Prophets of old and now have plainly written and professed of the truths seen in vision and their prophecies. One must remember every single prophecy will be fulfilled either with our knowledge or without it. Those who profess the Prophets are dead and there is no more prophecy have no ground on which to stand in this proclamation as if makes no sense. How do they know there is no more prophecy unless by prophecy it was revealed to them? They proclaim the heavens to be closed - that they have all of the knowledge needed and need no more - while in reality only using about 5% of the Scriptures and ignoring the remainder as unessential.

To reiterate the tragedy commenting, if the world knew and understood the Scriptures - accepted them literally - most all of everything else would be solved and resolved. But when one presents that all of this is out of nothing - there's no eternal family - and that God the Father and the Son - don't really have any feelings (passion) - is to foster generation upon generation with absolutely no hope of anything better than being saved as an administering angel - in a world where there's no substance or being.

In summery - the worldly accept the teachings of the schools and their professional clergy/professors - over the divine revelations of the Father and the Son and their appointed Prophets and Apostles on this Earth today and as they did in the past history of the world. Therefore one should read: Isaiah 13; Psalms 73; James; Revelations; 3rd Nephi; Ether; Hosea; and all of the Holy Bible; Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants; Pearl of Great Price and rehearse the words of the Prophets living today and at the head of the Lord's Church on this Earth in our times. Sadly, most are going to watch TV - go to the movies - read dime store novels - engage in actions clearly defined in the Ten Commandments as WRONG! The greater tragedy then is that there will be no excuses - and those who've chosen to be on the side of the worldly will pay the appropriate price whether a member of the one true Church or not!


"The Tragedy"

cji
5/17/10

Being in the crowd
sinners laughing
Saints crying*
shouting profanities
shamefully the harlot
or the procurer of such
claiming living today
ignoring the weather
prophecies of old
then those of today
justifying apathy
playing their part
in the tragedy
found in living color
flavored and decayed!

Copyright © 2010 – cji

(*Lyrics in a Billy Joel song
inticing a young lady
to turn her virtue to him)

“Of Corrupt Humans” cji 5/14/10

Follow-up to “Choices Within Agency” – “Of Corrupt Humans” cji 5/14/10

In following up to the short essay entitled, ‘Choices Within Agency” there's going to be a lot who've decided to choose the worldly over the delayed blessings of the Celestial! We knew that before we came down here! The noise of the world overwhelms the still small voice of the Spirit’s promptings to do what is right for the right reasons - all of the time! Fun to the worldly is like having a credit card! They can use it now and figure they'll pay later. Sadly most don't realize many with credit cards seldom pay at all - and they then pay all it is the interest with very little paid against the principal!

Many of the worldly clergy are telling their employers (those who pay them) – sin a little now - just a little or a lot - once you're saved you'll be forgiven; or be beaten with a few stripes and then forgiven! They forget a few stripes if applied expertly will kill the person receiving them – just a surely as will sin! Delayed repentance doesn't work well if at all. Many feel they’ve lots of time to repent – leave the play grounds of sin behind and get their lives in order – this has never been true and has always been a lie!

When one studies the Scriptures the seriousness of sin begins with the denial of the Holy Ghost - refusing to feel knowledge of the truth to which one is entitled if having received the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Writers note: The promptings of the Spirit are available to all – but are different from the absolute testimony of the Holy Ghost!) Second to this and equal in gravity is that of shedding innocent blood - i.e. murder! The commission of these two sins - will open the doors wide to 'outer darkness' and they will be very difficult if almost impossible to close. Doesn't mean they can't be closed - but will be very difficult to do.

The third major sin is that of any form of sexual transgression - which it would appear the worldly are totally accepting of either in politically correctness or actual participation. Sexual transgression is so serious because it is directly linked to the process of creation which Heavenly Father shares with his children in righteousness to bring forth life. Thus the adversary works on this more so than the other two major sins.

Why? As for the denial of the Holy Ghost - most don't even understand what this implies and one must have received the Gift of Holy Ghost by proper authority before they can deny it - thus it directly effects those who've come to the truth - been baptized - confirmed a member of the Lord's Church (not any of man's or woman's or of the worldly) - and then have become apostate from these truths. Further, because the adversary knows most people won't go out and kill someone (of course he's getting more to do so) but for much of the human race this is not a choice they'd make. Therefore - the sexual sin becomes the one of choice for the adversary to use.

Noise of any kind as in loud music dulls the senses. Additionally the usage of drugs - lewd language – reading dirty books – going to PG-R-X rated movies – visiting Internet sites with sexual content or violence – or accepting in one’s own life loose morals will find as most of the worldly, hooked. The adversary and his minions start with the very youth of the nations and work until they've infiltrated every vestige of family life - or the lack of such. They seek by the usage of rhetoric and changing meanings of words to pave the road with a slight slope and then slowly steepen the incline until most think it's too late to repent or forsake - and therefore believe it's okay. Justification is the highest form of excuse for poor choices - and the worldly uses it all of the time. Reason and logic pass off any bad feelings and peer pressure does the rest in beguiling even the elect into choices of participation rather than to be the subject of other's ridicule. Calling happiness what is in reality a numbness of feeling – blindness and being deaf to the eternal truths of the Scriptures, the Prophets and the Father and the Son!

Corrupt humans therefore find themselves happy to be in the pig-sty of life and condemn anyone who says that's where they are living. When one doesn't understand the eternal price, i.e. the Celestial Kingdom which is being paid as the price of their actions - then there's nothing of value that they're giving up in choosing to be corrupt. Lots of good people are corrupt as the meaning has been changed. People find good things to say about the most evil of others - because they're friends, etc. Politicians have made an art form of this in their speeches and lives.

In the final analysis one has to understand that they're not their own person! The Savior paid the price for our eternal lives - and thus we've a responsibility to all that He and His Father have commanded us to do! Agency within this is our choice to be obedient. If we choose any other choice we alone will destroy our agency by succumbing to the wiles and guile of the worldly. Many have no comprehension of this - they are not taught this in their places of worship - and they read not - nor study their Scriptures to learn and understand.

If the Savior is the way to return to the Father and our home - then it would not be either confusing or have multiple roads. It would be simple - straight forward- and with only one path (or one Church) for each to attain this goal of the Celestial Kingdom - Sealed in Marriage for Time and All Eternity - bound with our families forever and ever! Only one Church on this Earth today teaches this, practices this and covenants to do this - and it was Restored to this Earth by the Father and the Son as the Savior told his Apostles it would be in the Latter-days. The hardest and most difficult part of this is to face the enmity of the worldly for this choice of eternal life and accepting the Scriptures as being literally true. It's far easier to just say, "I'm Saved" or to just believe one preachers/priests/rabbi's/ministers, etc. because they teach Greek Philosophy mixed with Scriptures - and using man/woman's reason/wisdom which is foolishness compared the Savior and His Prophet's.

The last day’s are to be filled with all sorts of corruption – at all levels and by many – without regard to age – color – nationality – male or female. All of the prophecies will be fulfilled – and all will know – there will be no exceptions!

Chin up my friends – we know the results – now it’s what we choose to do with that information – in the name of Jesus Christ – amen c/ork


“Of Corrupt Humans”

cji
5/14/10

Choosing to violate law
or Commandments
knowing not to get caught
or buying off penalties
found lying or denying
or excusing behavior
for of corrupt humans
or others acting so
there’s time only here
or living the moment
credit card sprees had
or living in full debt
finding the immediate
or the time at hand
more than what’s ahead
or if there’s eternity!

Copyright © 2010 – cji

"Choices Within Agency"

The agency which we have from Heavenly Father - is the most important trust which we've been asked to protect and honor! That the adversary sought to take away this agency right from the beginning in our pre-mortal life shows just how important it is! One-third of the host of the heavens choose to go with the adversary - two-thirds with the Savior. Many of the two-thirds have tried to change their choice - some have been successful in doing so - while at the same time condemning themselves to anything less than the Telestial Kingdom and some to outer darkness.

None of the major religions teach anything about this as there are dependent on their membership for their own room and board as paid professionals. The Scriptures however are quite clear on the issues of agency and no-agency. Further, much of what is in the Scriptures is not taught - changed - or so mixed with the idea of mystery - confusion - or rhetoric anyone who does not read them on their own prayerfully will most likely never have a clue as to what we should and are required to know for ourselves.

Mysteries in the language has little to do with cannot be known - but to do with what is sacred and is known only through righteousness, repentance and being one with the Father and the Son - i.e. through baptism into their Church and not man's!

But, alas most choose not to listen - and would rather follow - not change - or feel any road will lead to the Celestial Kingdom. Most will find that being Saved by the worldly definition isn't the end result but only a beginning. Yet believing or led to believe it's the last step - will settle for the Terrestrial Kingdom or less.

Yes - choices you make must show who you are and what you're willing to be accountable and responsible for in your mortal probation - no one can make these choices/decisions of right or wrong - good or evil - truth or fiction - literal or rhetoric - as one reads, prays, studies, listens, ponders in their life.



“Choices Within Agency”

cji
5/13/10

To each it is a given in life
making choices is their’s alone
none other can do so ever
even if man seems so clever;

Too many seek this to avoid
blaming and making excuses
professional clergy encourage
and self-agency discourage;

Choices within agency account
for the who we’ve become
adopted behavior of the world
all righteousness thus hurled
or as a child of God so found
accountable in truth bound!

Copyright © 2010 – cji

"Testimonies and Baring Same"

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Fast Sunday is held usually the first Sunday of each month. Many who are investigating seem surprised at some of the Testimonies and especially the number of young children who take this opportunity to do so. Also, some will be up there every Sunday to bare their testimony – while others will seldom do so. The Testimony Meeting (called Fast Sunday) because those who can fast from at least two meals – three if possible – do so to be more prepared to be spiritually fed. Those who are unable to Fast due to health should not do so!!

When the meeting starts the Presiding Priesthood holder usually will bare his testimony first – thus every three months we get the blessing of hearing those sustained to share with us their testimony. After this there’s usually a rush to get up – and some of the older members – whether age or membership will wait till all slows down. Some members hardly ever bare their testimony – some because to do so is very difficult – others because they’ve difficulty to move (some Wards/Branches will provide a microphone to carry to someone in need).

A testimony is based on one principle only: Jesus is the Christ! Therefore a testimony has three building blocks – 1: That the Bible/Book of Mormon are true; 2: That Joseph Smith, Jr. is/was a Prophet of God (and that Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet on earth today); and 3: That The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Restored Church on the earth today.

1. The Bible and Book of Mormon (Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price) – testify that Jesus is the Christ!
2. Joseph Smith, Jr. and all of the Prophets testify that Jesus is the Christ!
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints testifies that Jesus is the Christ!

Further the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of each other and the Prophets – as do all of the Prophets testify of the Scriptures – and the sole purpose in each dispensation that the Church has been found on this earth testifies to the truthfulness of the Scriptures – and therefore all testify of each other and give three testimonies that Jesus is the Christ!

Guess this could be expanded – but there’s no need – each testimony is sacred – and therefore many are reluctant to share – even thought this is what we both covenant and are commanded to do - teach repentance and testify that Jesus is the Christ.

Once the meeting is underway there always seems to be a pause. The pauses are both interesting and an opportunity for those hesitant to get up and take this opportunity. For others this does cause some discomfort – but the purpose of the meeting is to reflect on one’s own testimony – and thus the quiet allows for this.

The seeming repetitiveness of Fast Sunday once a month seems to deaden some of the feelings – while in reality all Sacrament Meetings are what we use to recharge our batteries for the coming week of dealing with the world and worldly. Thus, some feel the need to move on – which is of the world – and not to appreciate the lulls – which allow us to ponder our own testimonies and those to which we’ve listened.

The social pressure occurs because some feel the need to keep the meeting moving – i.e. the clock on the wall! This is neither needful or sometimes desirable – but sometimes it is a good motivator especially for leaders to get up and bare their testimonies. The leaders of a Ward/Branch or Stake don’t want to interfere (so to speak) in meetings where the individual members have their opportunity to share their testimony, but this not a correct principle as anyone in a leadership position is also a member of the Ward or Branch. Sometimes hearing our leaders bare their individual testimony not attached to a talk gives us added strength as members.

Little children are the joy of any meeting – especially in this Church! Their infectious smile – cry’s – etc. make us completely understand the meaning of families and the eternal family unit! The Savior never sent little children away – as the same as Joseph Smith – he would often interrupt what he was doing to give personal attention to the children around him. Loving the children is the most Christ-like attribute we can have in this life!

Well hopefully this helps – hugs and love - c

“And Baring Same”

cji
5/3/10

When one has treasure
something sacred and pure
yet without value hidden
thus it’s meant to share;

A testimony of Jesus Christ
is the most precious pearl
one can acquire and hold
thus it’s meant to share;

Each month one day set
for each to bare their own
others to then are blessed
when one his does share!


Copyright © 2010 – cji

'Chuck' Charles J. Ingerson, CPCM, Fellow (NCMA)

http://whispersofthespirit.yuku.com/topic/10118
(Do We Want to Know?)

“To Be Joyful” cji 4/25/10

“To Be Joyful” cji 4/25/10

At what point have we given our happiness over to the cares of the world? We’re children of Heavenly Parents – they love us and care for us. They gave up their Only Begotten Son in the Flesh to be a sacrifice for our transgressions (whoever we are). This is our Eternal Linage! We’re related to Adam and Eve – and to all of their descendants. What then would make us to take on the adoptive behavior of the world and worldly?

Happiness is found in pure obedience to all of the Commandment, Statutes and Laws of the Father and the Son! There’s no other way to be joyful within this world. The understand that Jesus is the Christ – his Father is our Heavenly Father and they as our Father and elder brother want us to be happy and joyful. We as sons and daughters – fathers and mothers – grandparents – brothers and sisters desire for all of those related to us to be happy and joyful. Indeed we know that this happiness and joyfulness is primarily based upon righteousness and obedience to the Eternal Laws of the Universe. Thus if we have this light and knowledge – intelligence – then why so we set it aside?

There are several applications and reasons for the adoptive behavior not to be happy or joyful. As President Spencer W. Kimball explained in a talk the greatest reason for unhappiness in marriage, family, work, life in general is but of one cause, “Selfishness!” He said it isn’t money, sex, children, other people, events or any of the plethora of trials and tribulations we find daily in this life. It’s our refusal to change ourselves – to be righteous – to be obedient – to be unselfish – to be unloving – to be unforgiving (and forgetting).

Many times this selfishness is exploited in anger and seeking to correct all of the wrongs either against us or our friends or even for strangers. It is found in murmuring – sorrowful attitude – exploiting the letter of the law and forgetting about the spirit of the law! Seeking to correct and evil and corrupt world – to change that which is outside of us and not even in our control.

The world enhances selfish behavior – has since the days of Cain – even Satan tried to tempt Adam and Eve. Wall Street and Madison Ave. spend all of their time seeking to put the love of money and selfish desires before all else. Follywood does the same – only on big screens and popular (cult hero actors/actresses) – the media/press print lies and push personal agendas and politicians have lost any clue as to what they were elected to do for the people. The world pushes – power, wealth, lusts, greed, envy and so on for all of the temptations and evils of that which takes one away from what they were born to and from. The work 24/7 to tempt, coerce and to seduce everyone – everywhere all of the time and by whatever means might work.

Let’s understand that for the most part their work is quite easy as most of the world/worldly follow them whole-heartily – thus their efforts can be directed at a select few – those who strive to be obedient in all things and ways. There’s a Scripture which says, “Even the very elect will be fooled, Mark 13:22.” Thus this would indicate that anyone can be fooled by the wiles and seductiveness of the world and worldly. It also means that those who would strive to be worthy – righteous – obedient – serving to Father’s will – need to be very careful to the temptations of the world.

Slippage comes little by little – no one goes from being totally upright and pure in all things – to go out and commit adultery or some other great evil. Thus as we learn correct principles step by step – here a little there a little – the same is true of going the other way – and the media/press, movies, videos, Madison Ave. – chip away. One cannot pick up a magazine – or go to a web site – hear conversation in public places without being encompassed with the wiles and seductions meant to dent first their armor and then to destroy their will to be obedient.

One last aspect of being joyful or of having joy! Men and women are more afraid of this one thing (which is their birthright) than of any other thing in this world. What would give us the most joy or happiness? To stand once more in the presence of the Father and the Son and our Eternal Families! This one thing scares more people than any other thing because most of those who’re worldly know they are not worthy, (see Hugh Nibley – “Time Vindicates the Prophets).

Well enough dwelling on how not to be happy or joyful – how do we stay happy and joyful in all things and at all times? First off we keep the Sabbath Day Holy! We call upon Heavenly Father often in prayer – many times during the day! Personal prayer and family prayer are most important! Think of it like emailing a special and honored friend – which Father can become – as well as the Son! Does anyone think we can someday live in their presence with our Eternal Families and not be friends? I imagine that Father and his immediate family will want to hold our young ones – talk with us – teach us – help us and expect us to honor Him as indeed he will honor us and our families.

We need to be found in selfless service – sharing – living the covenants we’ve made in the Holy Temple. We need to be found honoring our Branch/Ward/Stake leaders – to Honor the Chosen Servants of the Lord in these Latter-days. Honoring them means holding up our end of the stewardship in all ways and at all times. We need to be found doing that which is a good example of a good example! Elder Hartmon Rector, Jr. said, “The Lord will use you – either as a good example of a good example – or as a good example of a bad example!” We need to understand sometimes the only way others learn from us is to observe how we live our lives!

Further we need to be found – humble – meek – and to be reading our Scriptures daily (private and family). The humble and meek bother many people but not when put in the proper context, i.e. humble in following the Lord – and meek in the service of the Lord. Or as found in 3 Nephi 12 – those, ‘those who come unto the Lord.’ We need to understand who we are – why we are here – what we should be doing and where we will go whether righteous or unrighteous (Doctrine and Covenants 88 and 93).

We need not to seek vengeance on a wicked world – just a waste of time and energy – we share our testimony of what we know – and then live up to the standards of that testimony – simple stuff! The Savior has told us what will be done to the wicked of this world – we need to trust in him (Psalms 73) – and get on with our lives and progressions.

We need to be joyful – and thus happy and sharing such happiness with those around us (all of the time!!). We need to not accept any of the adoptive behaviors of the world or worldly – we need to understand we’re literally children of a royal birthright and will someday inherit of this birthright. One who has and understands a testimony of Jesus Christ – of the Prophets – of the Restored Church in these Latter-days – should be the happiest people in the world – they should be full of joy – understanding literally who they are – why they’re here – where they are going – and that it is all true!

Johnny Miller – when asked why he was so nice to those who belittled him or heckled him in public life – replied, “Because I love them more than they dislike me.” This is how I try to live my life – being upbeat – happy and joyful in all things.

(Author’s Note: The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored in these latter-days – it was foretold by all of the Prophets – by the Savior – it is found in the Talmud – the Bible – and has to have happened prior to the Second Coming of the Savior. The restoration of all things – has literally been fulfilled – and the culmination is that of the Temples (or House of the Lord) with all of the ordinances now on this earth. I testify of these literal truths – and President Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet on this Earth today – in the name of Jesus Christ – amen.

“To Be Joyful”

cji
4/25/10

Singing in a clear voice
Angels all now rejoice;

Pure intent and hearts
Each doing their parts;

Giving, loving, sharing
Unselfishly thus caring;

To be joyful each day
Able always to pray;

Giving, loving, sharing
Brothers/sisters caring!


Copyright © 2010 – cji

"Nice Emails"

Hi – Over the weeks time and again I receive some very nice emails dealing with the Savior (Our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ) – while these are nice but have little to do what really happens if one isn’t found throughout their life’s in doing their Father’s will and not their own. The road to Zion is straight – there are no detours or others ways to go – i.e. it’s to be obedient to all of the Commandments of Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son! These are given by the Father and the Son through Prophets – both from the Old Testament and from the New Testament and those alive today!

The Messiah Ben Joseph (as spoken of in the Talmud and by the Prophets of the Bible who’s to precede the Messiah Ben David (The Lord Jesus Christ) has come and we’re in the Last Days. Whether one chooses to believe this or not makes little difference – for if it’s true (and I know that it is!) – then all the excuses will not make any difference. Yet the world/worldly refuse to believe this – as a matter of fact as the Talmud indicates they killed him (Messiah Ben David).

However, it was through him that the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness was and is restored to this earth in these latter-days. Through him (Messiah Ben Joseph) all of the keys and ordinances and covenants have been restored. Almost every worldly known religion ignores this, refutes it, denies it, and ridicules it! The world/worldly pay them each to do so. Why? Because of power, wealth and they choose to serve themselves using Plato and Greek Philosophy mixed with some Scripture as it suits their needs. Most create their own creeds and doctrines – others use force – terrorism and insane laws and rules to make all of the adherents believe or die!

But yes we will all stand before the Bar of Judgment – what will be judged on? The words of the Lamb of God – the Word of the Jews – and the words of the Prophets both living and dead.

2 Nephi 33:
12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.
13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.
14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day.
15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen

We’ve a hymn we sing: “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”
“29: A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief,” Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, no. 29
Peacefully
1. A poor, wayfaring Man of griefHath often crossed me on my way,Who sued so humbly for reliefThat I could never answer nay.I had not pow’r to ask his name,Whereto he went, or whence he came;Yet there was something in his eyeThat won my love; I knew not why.
2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread,He entered; not a word he spake,Just perishing for want of bread.I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,And ate, but gave me part again.Mine was an angel’s portion then,For while I fed with eager haste,The crust was manna to my taste.
3. I spied him where a fountain burstClear from the rock; his strength was gone.The heedless water mocked his thirst;He heard it, saw it hurrying on.I ran and raised the suff’rer up;Thrice from the stream he drained my cup,Dipped and returned it running o’er;I drank and never thirsted more.
4. ’Twas night; the floods were out; it blewA winter hurricane aloof.I heard his voice abroad and flewTo bid him welcome to my roof.I warmed and clothed and cheered my guestAnd laid him on my couch to rest,Then made the earth my bed and seemedIn Eden’s garden while I dreamed.
5. Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,I found him by the highway side.I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,Revived his spirit, and suppliedWine, oil, refreshment—he was healed.I had myself a wound concealed,But from that hour forgot the smart,And peace bound up my broken heart.
6. In pris’n I saw him next, condemnedTo meet a traitor’s doom at morn.The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,And honored him ’mid shame and scorn.My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,He asked if I for him would die.The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,But my free spirit cried, “I will!”
7. Then in a moment to my viewThe stranger started from disguise.The tokens in his hands I knew;The Savior stood before mine eyes.He spake, and my poor name he named,“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.These deeds shall thy memorial be;Fear not, thou didst them unto me.”
Text: James Montgomery, 1771–1854
Music: George Coles, 1792–1858, alt.
Matthew 25:31–40
Mosiah 2:17
Each have choices to make – these choices have very little to do with the world/worldly – but either to do right or not! Either one is found obedient in all things or they’re not! One must be found ‘repentant’ striving always to do what is right. There’s no such thing as ‘grey’ in the obedience to the Commandments, Statutes and Laws of Heavenly Father and the Son. However, they each know we’re human and will slip or fall – but to do so deliberately as much of the world/worldly do is not to choose the right.

I appreciate both your friendship and most of your emails – but would be remiss if I didn’t share the above with you – chuck




“Nice Emails”

cji
4/11/10

Each Sabbath Day
taking time to reflect
the week gone bye
emails read and sent
most not saying repent
or even it to – not why
truth able to deflect
nice emails in their way;

But there’s more to nice
we’ve to be kneeling
lifting our supplications
seeking more of truth
whether old or youth
great the implications
within such deep feeling
mortal probations price!


Copyright © 2010 – cji

“The Importance of the Book of Mormon to the Holy Bible” cji 3/14/10

“The Importance of the Book of Mormon to the Holy Bible” cji 3/14/10

Often times many wonder why the Book of Mormon is so important since there’s already the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is an incredible testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ – but yet in it is mentioned other people – other Scriptures.

Many Prophecies are found in the Holy Bible of the wickedness of the people and that there would be a falling away – or an apostasy from the truths taught therein. When apostasy takes place and the plain and precious truths are lost – there is only one way for them to be restored – and that is by a Restoration.

Up until the time of the early 1800’s there had been many reformations – all led by men/women seeking to find the lost truths from the Holy Bible. But a reformation can only take from what is currently available – in whatever shape it is found – thus using translations and transmissions from others like them without all of the truths at hand.

Since all of the reformers claimed that the heavens were closed and they received no revelations as to what the Father or the Son would have them do – they did what man/woman have always done – trying to pick the best of what was at hand.

In 1820 all of this changed – the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith, Jr. in answer to his prayer of which church he should join and he was told to join none of them! However, if he remained worthy he would be instrumental in the Restoration of all things and the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ again on this earth. This was also prophesized thousands of years before that there would be a restoration of all things before the 2nd Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus this young unlearned man was given the responsibility to translate under divine guidance the records of the people who’d once inhabited this land we know of as North and South America from 2000BC to roughly 460AD. This was and is the Book of Mormon – which provides many plain and precious truths which were lost at the time of apostasy from the Holy Bible. The Book of Mormon gives an indisputable testimony of Jesus Christ and all of his teachings. This makes a 2nd Witness – and with the Holy Bible under constant attack – it validates the Holy Bible as a testimony of Jesus Christ.

While many accept the Holy Bible – because of the various prejudices of the world/worldly they reject the Book of Mormon as being a testimony of both the Holy Bible and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When one considers that many will not even attempt to read the Book of Mormon because of what others have told them – yet will believe the Bible – then one must consider why both testify of each other and of the Savior.

All of the intellectual information in the world cannot get one to believe truth – yet the intellectual material available to teach the truth of the Father and the Son is overwhelming and yet is rejected by those who profess a greater truth from the wisdom of men/women. When one has read the Holy Bible cover to cover – pondering what is being said to them – even with all of the various translations/transmissions – alterations – additions – deletions – and accept literally what is therein contained they will then understand the importance of the Book of Mormon – Joseph Smith, Jr. as a Prophet of God – and the purpose of this mortal probation.

All of the intellectual and theological denials of Joseph Smith, Jr. – the Book of Mormon – the Restoration of the Saviors Church in these latter-days – have come up short with the unfolding of more and more information which has become available.

In the 1970’s an Arabic Scholar decided to translate the Book of Mormon back into its original languages. Below are his findings – while the scholars and theologians say that this was pure chance that an unschooled country nobody could have gotten it all correct – is exactly what they teach and proclaim in their continuous denials of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, Jr. as a Prophet of God.

All people have the agency to decide for themselves or to let others decide for them what is true and what is chance. Most will stay their course and not look for themselves – and thus many of the Prophecies from the past continue to be fulfilled in this scenario.

I know the Holy Bible to be true – I knew this at age 11 (1955) when I read it the first time; I know the Book of Mormon to be true – and by this knowledge I know that Joseph Smith, Jr. was/is and had to be a Prophet of God – and that today a Prophet of God – Thomas S. Monson leads the Lord’s Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And these things I testify to in the name of Jesus Christ amen – c/ork




http://www.moroni10.com/Hanna.html


Reflections of Sami Hanna
Elder Russell M. NelsonGeneral Sunday School Presidency 1976My neighbor, Sam Hanna, is a native Egyptian. He is an academic scholar who moved into our neighborhood to accept an assignment with the University as a specialist in Middle Eastern Studies and the Semitic group of languages such as Arabic, Abyssinian, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Assyrian. Being a newcomer into our community, he felt the Mormons were a bit of a curiosity.Upon learning the name Mormon came from our belief that the Book of Mormon is divine scripture, he was intrigued by the existence of the Book of Mormon. He has erroneously thought this was American literature. When he was told that the Book of Mormon was translated from the ancient Egyptian or modified Hebrew type of hieroglyphic into the English language by the Prophet Joseph Smith, he became even more engrossed, for this was his native language and he knows much about the other Semitic languages as well as the modern languages.So challenged was he by this book that he embarked on the project of translating the Book of Mormon from English to Arabic. This translation was different from other translations, for this was to be a translation back to the original language of the book. To make a long story short, the process of this translation became the process of his conversion; for he soon knew the Book of Mormon to be a divine document even though he knew virtually nothing of the organization of the Church or of its programs. His conversion came purely from the linguistics of the book which he found could not have been composed by an American, no matter how gifted. Some of his observations I think will be of interest to you, as they were to me, for they clarify some of the unique aspects of the book.1. Jarom 2: "It must needs be . . ." This expression, odd and awkward in English, is excellent Arabic grammar. Elsewhere in the book the use of the compound verbs "did eat," "did go," "did smile," etc., again awkward and rarely used in English, are classical and correct grammar in the Semitic languages.2. Omni 18: "Zarahemla gave a genealogy of his fathers, according to his memory." Brother Hanna indicates that this is a typical custom of his Semitic forebearers to recite their genealogy from memory.3. Words of Mormon 17: Reference is made here as in other parts of the Book of Mormon, to the "stiffneckedness" of his people. Brother Hanna perceives that this word would be a very unusual word for an American youth as Joseph Smith to use. An American would likely prefer an adjective such as stubborn or inflexible. But the custom in the Arabic language is to use just such a descriptive adjective. Stiff-necked is an adjective they use in describing an obstinate person.4. Mosiah 11:8: "King Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings and ornamented them with fine work and precious things, including ziff." Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the word "ziff" referred to in this scripture? This word, although in the Book of Mormon, is not contained in dictionaries of the English language. Yet it translates freely back into the Arabic language, for ziff is a special kind of curved sword somewhat like a simitar which is carried in a sheath and often used for ornamentation as well as for more practical purposes. The discovery of the word "ziff" in the Book of Mormon really excited my neighbor, Brother Hanna.5. Alma 63:11 Reference is made to Helaman, son of Helaman. Why did not Joseph Smith interpret this as Helaman, Jr., which would have been more logical for him, bearing the same name as his father, Joseph, and being named Joseph Smith, Jr. In Arabic, Brother Hanna explains, there is no word "junior" to cover this circumstance. Their custom is to use the terminology Joseph, son of Joseph; Helaman, son of Helaman, etc.6. Helaman 1:3: Here reference is made to the contending for the judgment seat. Brother Hanna observes that the use of the term "judgment seat" would be quite strange to an American who might have used a more familiar noun such as governor, president, or ruler. Yet, in Arabic custom,the place of power rests in the judgment seat and whoever occupies that seat, is the authority and power. The authority goes with the seat and not with the office or the person. So, this, in the Semitic languages, connotes the meaning exactly.7. Helaman 3:14: In this verse, there are a total of eighteen "ands." Reviewers of the Book of Mormon have, on occasion, been critical of the grammar in such a passage where the use of the word "and" seems so repetitious. Yet Brother Hanna explains that each of the "ands" in this verse is absolutely essential to the meaning, when this verse is expressed in Arabic, for the omission of any "and" would nullify the meaning of the whole verse.8. Helaman 3: 18-19: Have you wondered why the Book of Mormon cites a numbering system such as this? Do we say "forty and six, forty and seven, forty and eight"? No, Joseph Smith's natural interpretation would more appropriately have been forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight without the "ands." Brother Hanna excitedly observes that the use of "and" in "forty and six" is precisely correct Arabic. Remember they number as well as read from right to left and recite their numbers with the "and" to separate the columns.Well, I have just cited a few of these examples. There are many more! As Latter-day Saint leaders, we are aware of the Semitic origin of the Book of Mormon. The fact that an Arabic scholar such as this seems a beautiful internal consistency in the Prophet Joseph Smith's translation of the book, is of great interest, for the Prophet Joseph did not merely render an interpretation, but a word for word translation from the Egyptian type of hieroglyphic into the English language. Brother Hanna said the Book of Mormon simply flowed back into the Arabic language.You will be pleased to know that the Arabic translation of the Book of Mormon is now complete; that it will soon be available in this language which is read and spoken by 150 million people. Actually, there are about 700 million people who are able to read Arabic who now do not have access to the precious truths of the Book of Mormon. This is over two times the number of people on earth during the Savior's earthly ministry, at which time He challenged His disciples to preach the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
A Treasured TestamentElder Russell M. NelsonOf the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesEnsign: July 1993The Book of Mormon stands as another testament of Jesus Christ. The power of its message will transform the lives of all who earnestly study its precious pages. Its very reality is an inspiring fact.Many of you are experienced in the difficult task of translating written text from one language to another. I am intrigued, as you are, with the process Joseph Smith used to translate the Book of Mormon, which he said was done through "the gift and power of God." (Book of Mormon, title page.) The Prophet learned the nature of that gift the night the angel Moroni first visited him. Moroni told him that "there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of [the American] continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; "Also, that there were two stones in silver bows--and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim--deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted 'seers' in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book." (Joseph Smith History 1:34-35.) The inscriptions on the plates were written in a Semitic language, using a modified Egyptian type of script. Some critics have scoffed at such a linguistic mix. May I tell you of Doctor Moses Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and Jewish philosophers of the Middle Ages. He died in a.d. 1204. He served as a court physician in Cairo and is one of the most famous figures in the early history of medicine. Hospitals are named after him today. In Cairo he read and pondered the words of earlier Muslim thinkers and wrote his philosophical books in Arabic using the Hebrew alphabet. This is but one of many instances from ancient and medieval periods in which the script of one language has been used to write in another language. (See Daniel C. Peterson, Abraham Divided; An LDS Perspective on the Middle East, Salt Lake City: Aspen Books, 1992, p. 205.) Indeed, history confirms that such a linguistic mix was not unusual at all. I am intrigued that Joseph Smith--an unschooled young man in rural America--could have translated this Semitic language mix into the English language. That unlikely scenario relates to Isaiah's remarkable prophecy: "I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder." (Isaiah 29:14) The Hebrew text of the Old Testament from which that phrase was translated uses the word pele, meaning "miracle." Thus one could also accurately interpret "a marvellous work and a wonder" as a "miraculous miracle." Truly, this latter-day work is precisely that. Think of the short time Joseph took to translate the Book of Mormon. Working from April to June of 1828, Joseph translated the 116 pages that Martin Harris later lost. Joseph began translating again on Tuesday, April 7, 1829, with Oliver Cowdery as scribe. The manuscript was completed eighty-five days later, on June 30 of that year. Of course, not all of that time was spent working on the translation. The Prophet and his scribes also took time to eat, to sleep, to seek employment, to receive the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, to make at least one (and possibly two) trips to Colesville thirty miles away, to receive and record thirteen revelations that are now sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, to move from Harmony to Fayette, to acquire the Book of Mormon copyright, and to begin making arrangements for the publication of the Book of Mormon. Conservatively estimated, this left sixty-five or fewer working days on which the prophet and his scribes translated this book, which contains 531 pages in its current edition. (See John W. Welch, Ensign, Jan. 1988, pp. 46-47.) That calculates to an average of eight pages per day. Consider this when you translate a book, or as you schedule your own reading of the Book of Mormon. As Oliver Cowdery testified a few years later: "These were days never to be forgotten--to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated...the history or record called The Book of Mormon." (JS--H 1:71n.) The details of this miraculous method of translation are still not fully known. Yet we do have a few precious insights. David Whitmer wrote: "Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man." (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.) Emma Smith, who acted as an earlier scribe for Joseph, gave this account in 1856: "When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word for word, and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was writing them, if I made any mistake in spelling, he would stop me and correct my spelling although it was impossible for him to see how I was writing them down at the time. Even the word Sarah he could not pronounce at first, but had to spell it, and I would pronounce it for him. "When he stopped for any purpose at any time he would, when he commenced again, begin where he left off without any hesitation, and one time while he was translating he stopped suddenly, pale as a sheet, and said, 'Emma, did Jerusalem have walls around it?' When I answered, 'Yes,' he replied, 'Oh! [I didn't know.] I was afraid I had been deceived.' He had such a limited knowledge of history at that time that he did not even know that Jerusalem was surrounded by walls." (Edmund C. Briggs, "A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856," Journal of History, Jan. 1916, p. 454.) On another occasion, Emma Smith recorded: "The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book." ("Last Testimony of Sister Emma," Saints' Herald, 1 Oct. 1879, p. 290; spelling modernized.) Although the Prophet would polish his skills over the years, Emma acknowledged that Joseph possessed only rudimentary literacy at the time he translated the gold plates: "Joseph Smith...could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter; let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, it is marvelous to me, 'a marvel and a wonder,' as much so as to any one else." (Ibid.) Because the Book of Mormon is a translation of a modified Hebrew language, it contains many Hebraisms. We might list a few examples because they are so unlike the language that would have been familiar to a young man in rural New York at that time:
 Nouns followed by descriptive phrases--such as "altar of stones," "plates of brass," "mist of darkness."
 Prepositional phrases used instead of adverbs--such as "with harshness," "with joy," "with gladness," "in diligence."
 Cognate accusative constructions--"dreamed a dream," "cursed with sore cursing," "work all manner of fine work."
 Hebrew words with double meaning--such as Nahum, meaning "mourning," and Jershon, meaning "inheritance." Events involving those specific actions took place at locations bearing those meaningful names.
 Chiasms. This term is derived from the Greek letter Chi (or the English x), which describes text written in an inverted parallel structure. As a young LDS missionary, John Welch discovered that many chiasms exist in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Bible. I am told that emphasis in these ancient languages was not provided by punctuation. Therefore, other devices, such as chiasm, were used occasionally to stress important thoughts. Sister Nelson and I have a close friend and former neighbor, Sami Hanna, who was born in Egypt. He is a scholar with special expertise in Semitic languages. As a linguistic exercise, he translated the Book of Mormon from English into Arabic. The exercise converted him to the divinity of the Book of Mormon. Among the many linguistic features that convinced him of the book's divinity was this unusual sentence in Helaman, chapter 3, verse 14. This would hardly be an expression of a 24-year-old man from the New York frontier: "But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work." That single sentence has eighteen ands. Now, if you were a teacher of English you might tend to downgrade the composition of that sentence. Yet my scholarly Egyptian friend said that every one of those ands was an important element in the construction of that sentence, allowing his translation to flow smoothly back to a Semitic language. Of course the great worth of the Book of Mormon lies not in its miraculous translation, wondrous as it was, nor in its stories that we read to our children. The great worth of the Book of Mormon is that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. All four of its major authors--Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni--were eyewitnesses of the Lord, as was His inspired translator of that book. The Book of Mormon is the great clarifier of doctrine. It refutes many myths, and at the same time affirms truths previously obscured. And it reveals many glorious doctrines lost or previously unknown. First let us examine a few myths the book refutes or denies. The Book of Mormon refutes the doctrine of predestination. It refutes the ex nihilo ("out of nothing") idea of creation. It refutes the false but pervasive notion of original sin. It refutes the fable of faith without works. It refutes the adequacy of goodness alone without exalting ordinances. It refutes the practice of infant baptism. It refutes methods of baptism other than that of immersion by one bearing proper authority. It refutes the arbitrary restriction that revelation from God ended with the Bible. There are some things that the Book of Mormon is not. It is not a text of history, although some history is found within its pages. It is not a definitive work on ancient American agriculture or politics. It is not a record of all former inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, but only of particular groups of people. Resoundingly, the Book of Mormon affirms, among many eternal truths, the existence of a living and loving Father in Heaven. It affirms the nature of our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation, happiness, and mercy. It declares, as another testament, the generation and divinity of Jesus the Christ. It teaches of His ministry, and of His atonement. While doubts about Jesus exist among today's ministers and scholars, the Book of Mormon stands as an international beacon of divine truth. The Lord said: "The testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another....And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also." (2 Nephi 29:8) The Book of Mormon affirms the sublime status of man's moral agency and sets forth stern standards of accountability and responsibility for our choices. It affirms the reality and inevitability of our impending judgment, which will be done with a perfect blending of the justice and mercy of God. (See Alma 12:15.) It deepens our understanding of the Master's statement once made near Galilee's shore: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)To the Nephites Jesus reaffirmed that commandment, but then as the resurrected Lord, He listed Himself as having recently achieved that state of perfection. (See 3 Nephi 12:48) The Book of Mormon affirms that the people in the Western Hemisphere were among the "other sheep" to whom Jesus had earlier referred. (See John 10:16; 3 Nephi 15:17, 21) And it affirms the existence of another society to whom Jesus would minister--those we know as the lost tribes of Israel. It affirms the reality of premortal life. It reaffirms the sanctity of and the necessity for the sacrament, as taught in the Bible. In addition to the refutation of myths and the clarification of concepts previously unclear, the Book of Mormon reveals glorious truths heretofore lost or unknown to the mind of man: It reveals the state of the soul between death and resurrection. It reveals the endless nature of the priesthood of God and the foreordination of choice spirits called and prepared from the foundation of the world for leadership in the latter days. From the Book of Mormon we know that each of you has been foreordained, foredetermined, and reserved to come forth at this particular time to accomplish the mighty work you have been called to do. The Book of Mormon reveals what the term gospel truly means. The Lord declared, "This is the gospel which I have given unto you--that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." (3 Ne. 27:13) That sentence is as sparklingly clear as it is brief. The Savior then explained in fuller detail His mission and His atonement (see 3 Ne. 27:13-21), concluding His definitions by again saying, "This is my gospel" (3 Nephi 27:21). The Book of Mormon reveals the important interrelationships between the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. One cannot fully comprehend the Atonement without first understanding the Fall; and the fall of Adam cannot be fully understood without first understanding the Creation. These three great doctrinal pillars sustain each other in God's eternal plan.The Book of Mormon reveals that Joseph, the son of Jacob who was once sold into Egypt, foresaw the Prophet Joseph Smith and his day (see 2 Ne. 3:6-21) and noted that there would be many similarities in their lives. Centuries later, the Prophet Joseph stated, "I feel like Joseph in Egypt." (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984, p. 409; spelling modernized.) The Book of Mormon reveals that the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, was not forgotten when, as promised in the Abrahamic covenant, land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. Joseph's inheritance was to be a land choice above all others. (See Ether 13:2, 8.) It was choice not because of beauty or wealth of natural resources, but choice because it was chosen. It was to be the repository of sacred writing on plates of gold from which the Book of Mormon would one day come, choice because it would eventually host world headquarters of the restored church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. The Book of Mormon reveals that Jesus of Nazareth, born of Mary, is literally the Son of God. No book of scripture bears more solemnly the weighty burden of that testimony than does the Book of Mormon. Its pages contain nearly four thousand references to Christ, using more than one hundred different titles for Him. His holy name is mentioned on the average of once per every 2.8 verses. No wonder this book has been designated "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." The Book of Mormon reveals that the keeper of the gate at Judgment will be Jesus, the holy one of Israel. There each one of us will stand before Him to be judged. The Book of Mormon contains many insightful and stunning gems. The late Elder Robert E. Sackley of the Seventy attributed his conversion to this brilliant passage of scripture, which he memorized while hospitalized as a young military commando--even prior to his baptism: "The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19) Elder Sackley's life was never to be the same after his decision to live in accord with that remarkable single sentence of scripture. To me, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is most evident in the mighty change that comes into the lives of those who read it "with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ." (Moroni 10:4.) Many of them forsake much that they held dear to be true to their new commitment to abide by the precepts of that book. The Book of Mormon truly is a treasured testament. There is no other book quite like it. Can you find any other book delivered by an angel? Can you think of any other book prepared for people to read centuries later? Its writers did not write it for readers of their day. No royalties accrued to its authors from sales to contemporary consumers. In fact, its authors paid dearly for their privilege of authorship, as did its translator. It is a book that the Lord Jesus Christ has personally testified to be true. In the form of an oath, the Lord said--referring to the Prophet Joseph Smith's work: "He has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true." (D&C 17:6.) You know well this promise that the Lord offers to readers of the Book of Mormon: "If you do these last commandments of mine, which I have given you, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; for my grace is sufficient for you, and you shall be lifted up at the last day." (D&C 17:8) The Prophet Joseph Smith declared--and his successor, President Ezra Taft Benson, has reaffirmed--that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is a treasured testament of truth. It is the prophesied sign that "the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill his covenants." (3 Ne. 29, chapter heading.)Solemnly, I add my witness to that of my Brethren. It is true! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

“The Sabbath Day – Today”

cji
3/14/10

Once each week to account
our batteries spiritual recharge
minds and thoughts cleanse
purifying our hearts/souls
covenanting with the Father
our obedience unto Him
acknowledging our advocate
His Only Begotten Son
Our Lord and Savior
even Jesus Christ today
on this the Sabbath Day!

Copyright © 2010 – cji

"The Parasitic Nature of Authority and Power"

“Doctrine and Covenants 121:39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”

“The parasitic Nature of Authority and Power”
cji
3/12/10

Throughout the written history of mankind one can find the literature ripe with those men/women who’ve desired that which was not theirs. Starting with Cain and coming into the present day in which we live this is found to be true. While written history also reports on those like Able, Enoch, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Isaac and many others to our day who’ve been good, loving, and desiring to be in the Service of the Lord – doing His Will and not theirs.

Thus there appears always two camps to be identified; the first, which is trying to live a righteous life – being obedient in all of the Commandments and true to all of the Covenants in which they’ve made with the living Lord. The second, which denies the literal truth or the teachings of the living Lord and accepts in return the precepts, philosophies and wisdom of men/women to pursue their own desires, wants, lusts and to be found worldly. (Note: please do not consider the world/worldly to be the same as the Earth which is of the Lord and not of men/women – while the world/worldly is totally of men/women.) One can be in one group or the other but not both – i.e. one is either seeking Zion or Babylon.

There are many who believe themselves to be in the first group or what we will term disciples of the living Lord – who in reality because of their lifestyles and doings cannot be considered in this group. It’s the simple things like obedience to the Ten Commandments (or Decalogue) and to the more serious things like keeping one unspotted from the sins of the world. These are those who proclaim a belief and love of the Savior and thus His Father who sent him – but decide on a varying definition of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy! Or proclaim this love but decide the poor, needy, homeless, naked, hungry, widows, orphans and all others in similar situations are someone else’s problem. It’s these who use the Lord’s name in vain – swearing – seeking peer acceptance rather than the Lord’s acceptance.

Thus we find the first group (the Disciples) to be pretty small and condemned by the world and worldly. Why are they so condemned? Because their integrity brands them as trouble makers and making others look bad in comparison. Within the written history we read of the stoning of the Prophets or their imprisonment – for nothing other than to declare the word of the Lord to their brothers and sisters. In the history of the United States a nation formed under the divine direction of the Lord (as each of the Founding Father’s gave credit) where the freedoms have been used to kill a Prophet of the Lord, rape and murder women and children and drive them as a group from the then boundaries of the then States. Not happy with these actions they pursued and have abused them where they next settled in the Far West. Even today in the newspapers we find untruths printed as truth by the leading men/women of other denominations for no other reason than they live the commandments and teachings literally of the Father and the Son as found in the Scriptures.

This is not to say that there are others who also live the commandments and teachings of the Father and the Son – so please don’t mistake this as excluding them from peer rejection and alienation from others within their communities. One also must remember there are those descendants who fled to the West which are not all they proclaim to be in living the commandments. Thus the lines of both groups cross each other. Most who are found as Disciples of the Living Lord – keep pretty quiet about being so – living quietly in the sure knowledge and seeking more truth. Thus there are those who are quite loud and outspoken in their beliefs – while yet they continue to be a hard heart in rejecting the words of a living Prophet.

What does the above have to do with the parasitic nature of authority and power? Those who have chosen not to honor their covenants – or to follow literally the teaching of the living Lord or his Prophet – have done so for one of several reasons. One: They’ve not been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that his Church has been restored in these latter-days with a Prophet at its head; Two: That when being so taught they’ve been influenced by others who seek to continue their domain over them by the usage of rhetoric to keep them from leaving their flock; Three: The teachings of false doctrines and beliefs of men mixed with Scriptures to deny that such a restoration was necessary; Four: The teaching that the Bible is complete and nothing more is needed – that it cannot be added to or changed in anyway; Five: The teaching that there is no one church and that any church is good enough; Six: The teaching there is no God and this life is all that there is; and Seven: The teachings that as long as one is good person – it matters not how they treat others – acquire wealth or use or abuse authority or power.

In approaching these seven we’ll look at each one in turn. One – They’ve not been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that his Church has been restored in these latter-days with a Prophet at its head. The reason for this can be two or three fold; First – the type of government in which they live permits no freedom of religion and thus the authority and power of those who lead such a nation is corrupted and given birth by the teachings of men/women. In these forms of government those in authority and power take this from the abuse of those they lead into submission and obedience to them alone. Second: these people live in such an environment where freedom of religion is in effect but is not tolerated outside of the community leaders myopic beliefs. Third: They live in such an environment where peer pressures denies them to look outside of family or community to seek further understandings of the Scriptures or to ask questions to find such information within their communities.

Each of these three cases requires others to have usurped authority and power over the lives of those who’ve they’ve taken control. This is a parasitic condition of not leaving others the choice and denying any outside influences to occur. There are nations in the world where no proselytizing can take place. There are locations where missionaries have been stoned for teaching the message of the restoration. Thus without the ability to hear of the Restoration of all things – one simply cannot make a choice to believe or not. These people have been denied their rights by others.

The Second issue – the influence of others to bring peer pressure and deny one from leaving their flock is parasitic in nature because the welfare (income) of those leading the pressure is at stake. For if the teaching of the Restored Church is true – then they too would have to admit to such truth and give up their livelihood in preaching, etc. One can only use rhetoric to deny truth – rhetoric is a nice word created by the Greeks to take the place of lying. It’s used as an excuse to give the people what they want to hear – and that they’ll pay to hear such words – rather than the truth. Thus further complicating the parasitic nature as both feel they’ve gained by such rhetoric rather than the truth.

The Third issue – the denial that any Restoration is necessary and therefore there can be no Restored Church. In this those who preclude others from hearing and or believing the truth proclaim that they’ve all the truth they need and they need no more! Of course in this they’re proclaiming to have had such revelations to this ‘fact’ while at the same time proclaiming the heavens are closed. Usually their charismatic appeal which is used in a parasitic manner to cover themselves in sheep’s clothing while being the predators of the flocks they’re to feed.

The Fourth issue – the teaching that the Bible is all that’s needed and cannot be changed or added to in anyway. Parasitically those who teach this and proclaim this know they are teaching something that is both false and contradicted within the Scriptures which they quote. As an example in the US alone by 1957 there were over 2700 different versions of the Holy Bible – who knows how many there are now. Each of these with changes, additions and deletions from whatever came before them. The Holy Bible is made up of various books written from the beginning or recorded history through to the teachings of the Savior and the Apostles. It is well known that many of the Old Testament books are missing – some Prophets completely removed and that texts were changed to be more politically correct to the both the Jews and the Christians of the 3rd and 4th Century. The New Testament or Scriptures following the birth of the Savior and after his literal death and literal resurrection contained some 3400 books of written records. With the advent of the Gnostics after the death of the last Apostle about 150AD – many changes rapidly took place. It’s also to be remembered that some of the now contained books of the New Testament were not recorded until after the 1st Century AD. Each of these records were changed at the time of Augustine and Origen the respective leaders of Western and Eastern Christians. Both of these esteemed men were students of the schools of rhetoric – Augustine having studied or taught rhetoric for 25 years of his life. They both desired a religion of the educated classes – i.e. political correctness – as these are those who had money to pay them generously for their teachings – which in turn made most of the Holy Bible un-literal in direct opposition to those few remaining Saints alive. Augustine and other solution was to kill all of the older Saints who still believed literally in the teachings. All of these changes, additions, deletions were done by man/woman and not by the Lord or his Prophets. Thus there had to be an apostasy – a falling away from the truths of the Savior and the Apostles – and this had to happen from within those members of the early Church as organized by the Savior with his name and his Apostles. Those who came after as Augustine and Origen were the 2nd and 3rd generation of reformers – in that they could not have been part of the apostasy for the Church was no longer found headed by a Prophet and Apostles in their day. To use without authority given to them by the Lord – these men took the authority and the power attendant to their positions to take without giving of any substance – and thus were the greatest of the new parasites. Many others have followed them – we can see them on TV – in college stadiums – claiming to save people for their money and substance.

The Fifth issue – The teaching that there is no need for only one church and any church will do. This is difficult to classify as parasitic but in reality it is such. For in reality no church is needed to be saved only not to commit murder (the shedding of innocent blood) and/or to deny the Holy Ghost. Only those who’ve received the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by one having authority can then deny the Holy Ghost. Others have light from the Spirit of God – which all born into mortality have had or can have – it helps to testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when one hears it taught by those having authority from the Savior to do so – this does not mean some theological school or university – all of their authority comes from men/women and those who pay them to teach or preach. Everyone is saved by the Atonement of the Savior on our behalf – all of us none excluded who’ve been born into mortality. Thus one can be equally saved staying in their homes – reading the scriptures for themselves or not - as long as they don’t shed innocent blood! However, there’s much more at stake than just being saved! None of those who teach the doctrine of being saved – talk about the eternal nature of families or how this can become a reality. They don’t teach of having a resurrected body of flesh and bone just as the Father and the Son have. They don’t teach about husbands and wives being able to have children eternally and forever. Thus by what they don’t teach they deny the truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures. And in so doing they teach doctrines of men/women and not God – for money – authority and power – which equal the parasitic nature of their own goals.

The Sixth issue – The teaching that there is no God and this life is all that there is. This is false and abominable in the sight of the Lord. And it’s only taught for one to get gain from the world and those who’ll follow after them. It sells books – movies – and lies for the love and lusts of the world/worldly. This is pure Babylon – and Babylon is nothing if not parasitic – in destroying it’s host over and over again. Yet some believe theories still as yet unproved and never to be proven about the origin of life and it’s lack of meaning.

The Seventh issue – The final teaching is similar in nature to several of the above – in that it simply teaches it doesn’t matter if you’re bad or good – abuse or slander or set aside the commandments and assume authority or power over others. Within this teaching is the guile of men/women to believe a little – deny a little – do works that others can see and praise you for – and do in private what’s needful to remain in authority and power. One might think that the heroes/heroines in the movies meet this standard and thus it’s a good standard to emulate by others. Or better the life styles of the rich and famous – even better the fact that one can sing and become rich makes them an authority on political correctness and how others should live. This would include Madison Ave. doing what they do simply for the profit of today with no thought of the morrow or the consequences of deceit to those who believe in their advertising. In the end they’re each saying there may or may not be a God – but spend your money to buy the latest fashions – drinks – or other products to make you more comfortable in this world without regard to the next. That if there’s a God – he made you to be rich and others to be poor – it’s not your concern just because you’re rich in the things of the world.

Unrighteous dominion comes from being a parasite – living off of the productivity of others and only giving lip service in return. Having authority and power to demand conformance of others to what you believe and want and lust after. Nowhere is it found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that one can or should force their authority or power over another. Each person is given their own agency – to make choices of right and wrong – what’s true and what’s not – thus when another intervenes to usurp this agency they are doing it parasitically for their benefit and not for the person. Coercion is a tool of the adversary – rhetoric is a tool of the adversary – parasitic behavior is a tool of the adversary – contention and confusion are tools of the adversary – which is why so many have chosen to deny the existence of the adversary so as to justify the actions and decision they make. Parasitic behavior is found in both the one in authority and power and those who they exercise their dominion over. This is caused by the need to be loved and accepted in a familiar environment rather than to change to another where there might be more truth and light. Thus they are limited in their choices for selfish reasons – and thus parasitic in nature.

Each must understand the nature of the world/worldly is parasitic as the world/worldly derive all they have from others. The world/worldly cannot survive without living off of those who come unto them in obedience and subjection. The world/worldly have only the material things of today to offer for this obedience and subjection and these you still have to buy, beg or steal to obtain.

Our Lord and Savior is the opposite of this in that all that he desires is for each of us to be happy and have joy in the truthfulness of the Gospel. The living Lord is giving and offering the gift of eternal life – forever and ever with our families and loved ones – taking nothing in return – and without any coercion. In doing this it does require obedience to all of the commandments, statutes and laws which are tried and true to give one happiness and joy in this life and eternal life in the life yet to come. This obedience is for our benefit and the benefit of others – as we will be better people and true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus one can chose what they want to know and understand – they can be under the influence of others – as in the case of issue one above – without choice or agency – or to rebel against the norm of peer pressure to learn for themselves what’s true and what isn’t. The information is easily available especially with the easy access to the Internet – public libraries – and simply just reading the Bible for oneself (cover to cover) and asking questions of clarification – doing research on one’s own and prayerfully asking the Father through the advocacy of the Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as stated in James 1:4-6.

“Doctrine and Covenants 121: 34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”

When one reads more of Doctrine and Covenants 121: 34-46 - it can be seen the Lord’s way is directly opposite to the world/worldly way. We’ve to chose this day which to follow. Yes one can be saved by doing nothing more – than not shedding innocent blood (murder) – but this is only saved to the worldly way of thinking and not to be found as eternal life – with the Father and the Son – forever and ever with a physical body of flesh and bone. One must understand as well that the Mother Teresa’s are the exception to the rule – she by her works and unselfish desire to help others – and doing so in her ability and calling set her apart from the world/worldly. And those with no opportunity in this mortality will yet have a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness during the millennial time frame. All others who’ve had the opportunity – to seek the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ either have done so or haven’t by their choice of agency. Even those who under the parasitic dominion of others claiming authority and power – and have not availed themselves to look, research, read, seek and pray will in the world’s to come chose the same as they choose now in most cases. Those who’ve been denied choice or agency in any of the several issues above – will still have the opportunity to hear the Gospel in its fullness. Both the demands of Justice and Mercy will be mete and none will be omitted from their judgments.

Remember in conclusion – those who are the parasites among us – will deny even that they’re the parasites – and tell you all this is nonsense. That there is no living Prophet – that the Church doesn’t or didn’t need to be Restored – and that only they can interpret the Scriptures for you. We’ve also to remember in the exercise of unrighteous dominion is to have the power over life and death – deciding who will live and who will die – men/women ardently strive to take this power from on high as the ultimate power. To deny one learning of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Restoration of All things – is take ultimately eternal life from who they’ve beguiled to follow them and their savior even the master of deceit – Satan. They’re his minion’s either knowingly or unknowingly doing his work and denying the purposes of this life and mortality.

Each person must decide in which direction to go either to Zion or Babylon – by asking oneself the questions: Who’s to gain and What is the gain – or Who’s to lose and What is the loss. The Parasites have everything to gain by persuading you and everything to lose if they’re unsuccessful which they can obtain from you. While those like myself have nothing to gain or to lose regardless of how you chose. We share with each of you because it’s true and your our friends – loved ones and we want you to know what we’ve learned so that you too can be with us throughout all eternity if we all prove to be worthy.

None of us will know until we stand at the bar – where the Prophets and Apostles will be standing also – as to if we’re worthy to all of the eternal blessings covenanted with between us and the Lord.

May we each try to live so to be worthy – in the name of Jesus Christ amen – c/ork

“Of a Parasitic Nature”

cji
3/12/10

Having desires of authority
seeking power over others
who will live and/or die
what price is to be paid
what offerings so needed
burning incense to Baal
crying for each to be saved
demanding respect first
and dominion always
ruling in unrighteousness
while claiming to be of God
knowing him not at all
claiming he cannot be known
all this because of greed
for the authority and power
denied unto them forever
of a parasitic nature within
and hidden from without!


Copyright © 2010 – cji