Hope, Politics, and the Last Days

 I read this article last night, "Can Religion be a Healing Force in Society?" by Peter Wehner, Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in DC, and it is just so, so good.

https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=3&article=1069&context=clarkmemorandum&type=additional

It coincided with a lot of thoughts I have had in the last couple of years regarding hope, the Gospel, and how we interact with the world in politics and everyday life in these last days. In our current ward especially, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on how bad the world around us is, how everything is getting worse, and how we need to prepare for terrible things ahead. And I realize that wickedness is increasing in many ways and that many have lost a clear sense of morality, but I also feel that this focus centers us on half the picture. Why is wickedness increasing in the world? Because light is increasing! There is more light in the world now than there ever was previously! We have an ongoing Restoration where we are growing in light and knowledge and truth and will keep doing so until we come to the measure of the fulness of Christ and His coming. So much wickedness and evil and suffering has been defeated worldwide. In the US, prosperity has grown and so has agency as the horrible injustices and inequalities of the past have been confronted and steps taken to rectify them. 

I think that part of this focus problem is that we neglect the essential role of hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hope means that we look forward to a better world, not hunker down and wait for a worse one. And when we hope for that world, we take action and work for it. I love that Wehner said:

"Followers of Jesus need to light candles instead of simply curse the darkness..." 

I have read that line a dozen times and it still bears repeating. I should embroider it and put it on my wall. I want to be a candle-lighter!

He then goes on to describe how we can use our faith to strengthen and heal society instead of condemning it or fighting over it. I won't restate the whole address but I highly recommend it.

Immigration and Israel

I have a hard time getting into politics. I tend to take the middle ground on most any policy issue, so I don't really agree with any partisan candidate. But lately with so much talk about immigration, I keep thinking about the prophecies of the Book of Mormon concerning latter-day America.

From 3 Nephi 16 (bear with me, it is a little long, but pretty interesting in this context):

6  And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.

 7 Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them.

8 But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles--for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;

9 And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them--

10 And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.

11 And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.

12 And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel.

13 But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel.

14 And I will not suffer my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread them down, saith the Father.

15 But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel.

16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, thus hath the Father commanded me--that I should give unto this people this land for their inheritance.

17 And then the words of the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say:

18 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

19 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

20 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God.

Long story short, our gentile nation should be a lot more worried about our own righteousness than about who is crossing our borders, because the former will  determine  whether the latter poses any threat to us. Our safety lies in being counted as the Lord's people by doing as He would do.

And a last tangential thought: What better place than America to meld Jew and gentile into one as God's people? Surely here perhaps more than anywhere else, the seed of Abraham is spread among other ethnicities, so that those of natural lineage and those adopted in become indistinguishable, where the last can become first and the first last. I understand so little about how the prophecies regarding our day will play out, but what I do recognize fills me with awe and fascination. I hope to do my little part on the Lord's side, regardless of my inability to choose a political side. 

Kingship in the Scriptures: A Pattern

As I read in Ether today, I had the urge to write, and as I did so I found that my current study, my reading with the kids last night, recent Sunday School lessons, and things I'd been pondering in the back of my mind all came together in my mind as a type for things that are going on now in the world and in the church. I love when I can feel that inspiration come and see how various principles fit into that picture of the great whole that is truth. Here is my journal entry from today:

The issue of kingship seems to me a good example of how revelation works among the Lord's people and to His leaders. The pattern:

1. An issue arises over rulership (e.g. The Israelites want a king like everyone else, the Nephites and the Jaredites ask for a king)
2. The Lord says "That will lead to captivity! Bad idea!"  (see 1 Samuel 8:10-18; 2 Nephi 5:18; Ether 6:22-23)
3. The people say, "But we want one anyway!" (se 1 Samuel 8:19-20; 2 Nephi 5:18; Ether 6:22, 24)
4. After this advice is ignored, the Lord ceases to push the point. (se 1 Samuel 8:7-9, 22; Jacob 1:9; Ether 6:30)
5. Thereafter, the issue of kingship isn't brought back up until the leader, the prophet, and the people are all ready to take up the issue again and willing to change, and they go seeking and asking. (see Mosiah 28-29)

Questions for thought:

• With this pattern in mind, are the prophets that come between steps 4 and 5 somehow false or mistaken if they don't bring up the issue of kingship?
• Are those prophets false or mistaken if they even support or endorse the king and kingship?

In answering those questions, keep this in mind: For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in all wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doeth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true. (Alma 29:8)

I am not sure if I spoil the value of asking the questions by answering them myself, but here is my view on the subject: No, I don't think that not teaching or even supporting the king or endorsing kingship makes them false. If a prophet follows the Lord's revelation for their own time and place, giving that portion that is commanded Him, he is not false if he does not see what is not meant for the people at that time. The Lord wants to give all that He has, but can only do so line upon line, according to the willingness and ability of the people to receive it.

We are blessed to live in the latter days, in the days when the promise is being fulfilled that all things will be revealed. Those things are coming, line upon line. Looking at this pattern, then, how could I personally speed along the process of greater revelation coming? This pattern tells me that the precondition for revelation isn't necessarily only that the prophet ask. The people, too, must be prepared and willing to receive, and the time must be right. So my role is to be part of that preparing process. How do I do that? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Search the scriptures. Treasure up gospel truths. Enjoy the words of eternal life in this life, and hope for immortal glory in the life to come. Read, ponder, and pray about all that the prophets have written. Such is the course which the Lord invites men to pursue where his holy word is concerned. And it was into this path of progress and enlightenment that young Joseph was led by that providential hand which knows the end from the beginning and rules in love and mercy over all his children. -Bruce R. McConkie, "Once or Twice in a Thousand Years" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/once-or-twice-in-a-thousand-years?lang=eng 
• With reference to the perfecting of the Saints, the Savior has asked us to become perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. (See Matt. 5:48.) In modern revelation we are told that we “are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.” (D&C 67:13.)  To accomplish the second objective, the perfecting of the Saints, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides opportunities for all members to become involved in many different kinds of activities that develop them mentally, morally, physically, and spiritually in the perfection process.  -Franklin D. Richards, "Perfecting the Saints," https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1976/10/perfecting-the-saints?lang=eng 

Here are the novel and unique things that come to mind: Studying the scriptures and revelations to prepare ourselves. Sharing and teaching to help others progress. Going to the temple and understanding what has already been revealed. Fulfilling our callings. Home and visiting teaching. Reaching out in service to others. Loving. Hoping. Giving.

Unsurprisingly, these are the exact things that prophets have told us repeatedly that we should do. These are the things that help to bring about Zion, to purify our hearts and prepare us to receive all that the Lord would give. I think because of their simplicity, because we've heard them a thousand times, we think that they aren't earth-shattering, and in doing so we look beyond the mark. The miracles that the Lord brings about on a daily basis are earth-shattering for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, and by small and simple things, great things are coming to pass in these last days.

Book of Mormon Preparation

The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines that lays down contention. (See 2 Ne 3:12) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.

-President Ezra Taft Bensen (then President of the Quorum of the Twelve), Conference Report, Apr. 1975, 94-95h

Gratitude, Mother's Day, and The Book of Mormon

Saturday was one of those days. I spent all morning diligently working and cleaning and the house was still a disaster. Loads of dishes, loads of laundry, loads of trash, and still I barely seemed to be scratching the surface. John was off studying for his exam this week, and I started to feel a little frustrated and sorry for myself on this Mother's Day weekend. Then the thought came, "I am going about this all wrong. This Mother's Day I really should focus on celebrating the three beautiful boys who gave and continue to give me the joy and privilege of motherhood."

I have been given a wonderful gift that not everyone has been able to have in mortality though they desired it with all their hearts and certainly merited the gift more than I. And I have been given that gift during an amazing era where those obnoxious daily chores are merely obnoxious and not all-encompassing daily efforts. I can read whatever I want online at my leisure. I have machines that wash my dishes and clothes. I am starting a career and everything I need I have at my fingertips in the comfort of my own home. All of this I have as a sit on a foundation laid by so many mothers before me who did so much with so much less than I have at my disposal.

Why is it that it is so easy to forget our blessings and to be ungrateful? My complaining to myself, viewed in light of all of my blessings and advantages, seems so selfish and petty, and yet I fall into that trap daily.

I think that one of the central themes of the Book of Mormon is gratitude and remembrance. We are reminded both in the introduction and closing remarks of the Book that this is part of its purpose:

Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever.  -Title Page

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts
-Moroni 3:3

I can't begin right now to list all the times in the Book of Mormon where the prophets counsel the people to remember how the Lord has blessed them and to live accordingly. In the spirit of that Book which has had the greatest impact in my life, I will make a greater effort to be grateful daily for the amazing blessings which are mine, and to cheerfully do the duty that falls upon me as a recipient of those blessings.

The Enoch Letters: Zion and the Lord's work

I just read The Enoch Letters by Neal A. Maxwell. It is a unique piece of fiction coming from a General Authority (I think it was written when he was assistant to the twelve), and a really interesting study of how the commandments and doctrines must be applied in order to prepare Zion for the Savior's presence. Very important for our dispensation especially. Here is one of many quotes I liked; this one focuses on a few points that I have pondered on quite a bit in the last years and tried to incorporate better into my daily life:

The Lord's work is work, but it is sweet labor. It is work usually done step by step in the process of time. Small daily duties well done have led to a big difference... for it is by small means that the Lord can bring about great things. There is no easy way to rush righteousness. it is as if our very neighbor is all mankind, and thus we can see how much there is yet to do in the combining of our time and talents before we can truly be said to love our neighbors as ourselves.

-p. 29

The Book of Mormon--Keystone of our Religion

I love this talk by President Ezra Taft Benson. An oldie but a goodie. I just read it the other day and I want to read it again. It is so powerful!

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1986/11/the-book-of-mormon-keystone-of-our-religion

Of course there is power in studying all of the scriptures, but the implications of the Book of Mormon for our day make it imperative that we not take its contents for granted; we need to know and do what is in that book!

Evils, Designs, and Conspiring Men

Someone posted this article today about how even "pro-organic" entities are cutting deals to allow more genetically modified produce to spread and be marketed. Now I don't know a whole lot about this debate and how all of this works, but the politics behind it remind me that there really are "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days," in regards to both the positive and negative admonitions in the Word of Wisdom.

This counsel, "And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man— Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving," combined with the long-standing instruction of prophets to keep a garden, is really significant and prophetic counsel for these days.

p.s. I am terrible about all of this, but working on it!

Special Witnesses

I am currently reading A Light Unto the World, which is a collection of discourses of Elder David B. Haight. The very first excerpt is from his 1989 talk "The Sacrament and the Sacrifice." He shares his experience during a health crisis where he lost consciousness for several days, and, in the interim, had some very sacred experiences, including being "shown a panoramic view of [Christ's] earthly ministry." He goes on to tell details of that ministry and testify of Christ.

Of course I know that the Apostles are called as special witnesses, to be prophets, seers, and revelators, but somehow I still forget sometimes when I hear them or read their words that they really have seen and they really do know. I was reminded of President Eyring's words in this last Conference (April 2013):

I am a witness of the Resurrection of the Lord as surely as if I had been there in the evening with the two disciples in the house on Emmaus road. I know that He lives as surely as did Joseph Smith when he saw the Father and the Son in the light of a brilliant morning in a grove of trees in Palmyra.

And of President Packer:

Of all that I have read and taught and learned, the one most precious and sacred truth that I have to offer is my special witness of Jesus Christ. He lives. I know He lives. I am His witness. And of Him I can testify. He is our Savior, our Redeemer. Of this I am certain. 

And, of course, Elder Holland:

These things I declare to you with the conviction Peter called the “more sure word of prophecy.” What was once a tiny seed of belief for me has grown into the tree of life...

These are examples of what I imagine Mormon meant in Alma 4:19 when he explained why Alma left the judgment seat to testify to the people:

And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

These are powerful testimonies of the Savior. They pull down pride and craftiness and contention and leave the hearer with one question: They know Him--do I?

I am grateful for these special witnesses whose testimonies have had such a profound and lasting impact on my life. In this increasingly wicked world, it so clear that we need these voices of firmness, of surety, of powerful witness against evil and for good. I am grateful for that simple question that brings me back to what it is all about.

Look, Endure, Live.

"Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live."
3 Nephi 15:9

The simplicity of this scripture struck me today in contrast with all of the sophistries being preached in society and the general sentiment that we can't know and so shouldn't take into account the things of God.

But this is the compass: we look to the Savior, follow his example, and seek His Spirit, enduring faithfully, and then we live--not just in the sense that we remain alive, but we live to the fulness of our potential, with purpose and meaning and joy and peace. We live "the abundant life," as President Monson and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, among others, have called it.

No moral turpitude?

A quote from some CLE reading today commenting on the new California Rules of Professional Responsibility:

The ABA abandoned the concept of “moral turpitude” over twenty-five years ago when it adopted the first iteration of the Model Rules. The justification for removing the concept of “moral turpitude” is found in Comment [2] to Model Rule 8.4:

Many kinds of illegal conduct reflect adversely on fitness to practice law, such as offenses involving fraud and the offense of willful failure to file an income tax return. However, some kinds of offenses carry no such implication. Traditionally, the distinction was drawn in terms of offenses involving “moral turpitude.” That concept can be construed to include offenses concerning some matters of personal morality, such as adultery and comparable offenses, that have no specific connection to fitness for the practice of law. Although a lawyer is personally answerable to the entire criminal law, a lawyer should be professionally answerable only for offenses that indicate lack of those characteristics relevant to law practice. Offenses involving violence, dishonesty, breach of trust, or serious interference with the administration of justice are in that category.

I find it funny that "adultery and comparable offenses" are not considered "offenses involving...dishonesty, [or] breach of trust." Sadly, such is the world.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkeness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  -Isaiah 5:20

This seems like an especially good scriptures for lawyers (Christ addressed them not infrequently!):

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  -Matthew 12:34-35