I recently revisited an old book in my possession entitled Fighting Terrorism by Benjamin Netanyahu. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I came across this great work with keen interest as I wanted to know more about who our enemy was and how to defeat them. At the time, I did not care about why our enemies hated us more than to discover a clear strategy aimed at easing them of their miserable and wretched lives. But despite my learned satisfaction attained by reading, the more dominant liberal sensitivities from a population turned more fearful and complacent were precisely what the mainstream media persisted on reporting. This only served to embolden the enemy and his reaffirmed cause rather than dismiss him altogether. Now, ten years later, the music is still the same, though softer and more trance-like befitting a fallen culture who calls "evil good and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). And this same melody of apathy and deliberate discontent toward national sovereignty and justified defense (both foreign and domestic) was portrayed through smiling eyes of contempt by our cocksure President aimed at Benjamin Netanyahu, now Prime Minister of Israel, during his immediate visit to the White House after Obama's twisted declaration for an indefensibly reduced Israeli State. Although he has recently claimed the statement as "misrepresented," behind the mask and prosaic statements there still exists a favorable allegiance to Palestine - and with such - an implicit support for Hamas. While I cannot at all bear witness to the experience of living in a country like Israel where rockets and suicide bombers are included as rain during the morning weather forecasts, I feel I do have a responsibility in sharing my thoughts and feelings on the present matter in the Middle East, particularly and most importantly with respect to the divine kinship and fidelity we must maintain for the chosen people of Israel.
As defined in Fighting Terrorism, "Terrorism is the deliberate and systematic assault on civilians to inspire fear for political ends." I cannot help but think how congruent this definition fits with our current system of government. While we do not have our elected officials blowing themselves up or firing rockets from the Capitol Building's rooftop at innocent civilians, their fear tactics and apocalyptic assertions regarding such things as not raising the debt ceiling, enacting universal healthcare, and printing a new stimulus are, by the same definition, acts of terror. As cited in an earlier post, this deliberate and systematic assault on the freedoms and appropriations of taxpayer funds are summed up justly by FDR when he said, "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." Such domestic terror should be given no intellectual quarter. But even more should we not make great efforts in gaining a clinical understanding of terrorist psychology as intellectual insight alone will not produce the action(s) necessary to resist and destroy evil at all costs. The reasoning is simple - insight leads to understanding which will invariably turn to acceptance. An old Jewish saying bears credence to this fact when it says, "Those who are kind to the cruel end up being cruel to the kind." Right is right and wrong is wrong. There is no middle ground here. Evil does not follow in stages ranging from beginner, intermediate, to expert level. You either choose the light or dwell in the darkness. Terrorists are soulless, godless, and uninspiring individuals who show greater obedience to the ticking timer strapped to their chests than to the still small voice of reason and truth. In one section of his book, Fighting Terrorism, Benjamin Netanyahu talks greatly about moral clarity and the responsibility we have as free-men to resist and defeat terror in all its forms rather than waste precious time, energy, and resource distinguishing the horrific from the unalarming. He then cites several major events from history where maintaining moral excellence prompted swift action and honorable victory:
"This [moral] clarity is what enabled America and Britain to root out piracy in the nineteenth century. This same clarity enabled the Allies to root out Nazism in the twentieth century. They did not look for the "root cause" of Nazism - because they knew that some acts are evil in and of themselves, and do not deserve any consideration or "understanding." They did not ask whether Hitler was right about the alleged wrong done to Germany at Versailles. That they left to the historians. The leaders of the Western Alliance said something else: Nothing justifies Nazism. Nothing!" (xx-xxi)
Without such moral excellence we are as the blinded Samson, fit to fight but incapable of seeing the true face of terror - the devil himself. Like shooting from the hip, our point of accuracy lessens and more than likely misses the mark entirely, as if David had instead hurled his stone at Goliath's mailed chest rather than the center of his forehead. To be sure, immoral conduct creates a significant delay between the act of aggression and the victim's response. The reason for this bears repeating: an obsession with understanding evil leads to identifying with the aggressor. Because of this, our tactical responses to these murderers is slowed and thereby more costly, like a car having a five minute delay between the turn of the steering wheel and its moving right. In place of this, we should be strengthening ourselves more by counterterrorist education beginning with Netanyahu's book, Fighting Terrorism, in learning how to defeat God's enemies than on promoting their cause further by our futile and arrogant attempts made to understand them. Nevertheless, this is our present awful state. Voices of sin within our own borders have already lamented the fact that Osama Bin Laden was not granted due process! A fair trial for a mass murderer! We can only assume that many more "intelligible" judges and politicians have echoed the same foolish sentiment. Like the Israelites of old who denied the saving power of the brass serpent lifted up by Moses, our corrupt leaders appear no different, so puffed up in their pride and wicked ambitions they fail to realize the slow coiling of the same snake around their exposed throats.
It is a well known fact that Israel sits surrounded by enemy states. In 1967, they took defensible action over a six-day campaign against Syria, Egypt, and Jordan and secured for themselves a sovereign nation, still independent and free to this day. Long before that, the Israelites were deemed God's chosen people, a body the Lord Himself loved and covenanted would never be defenseless insofar as they kept His commandments. In Deuteronomy 7: 6-11 we read:
6 - For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 - The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 - But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you our with a mighty hand, and redeemed you our of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 - Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
10 - And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
11 - Thous shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
With reference to Israel's enemies and the surrounding regimes that aid and abet terrorism, the Lord declared further:
17 - If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
18 - Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
21 - Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
As I ponder these inspiring verses, I cannot help but think of David and his going alone before the giant Goliath. So filled with faith and the power of God, he "ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." And after prevailing over Goliath with a small stone and then beheading him with his own sword, the Philistine army fled in derision, in immediate fulfillment of David's originally bold declaration:
46 - This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 - And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
With such strength, knowledge, and confidence in a population standing in defense of freedom, any perpetrator of terror will begin to look exceedingly remote to them. Notice how David did not feel sympathetic to the Philistines or their threatening champion; nor did he attempt to engage in "meaningful" or "robust" peace talks to assuage their desire to conquer by asking Goliath: "Why do you hate us?" For how can a reasonable man reason with a brute who says, "Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field." If only Neville Chamberlain, the once "savior of modern Europe" acted similarly toward Hitler rather than be fair to German concerns!
David [Israel], did not run from the drums of terror. He instead ran to face them, in full stride and filled with grace and power because of the promise the Lord made to make him [Israel] mighty unto deliverance. David also did not come out swinging, throwing objects carelessly forward at the giant in hope that one would deal the deadly blow. All it took was one sling. One stone. One aim. He won beforehand. This miraculous event reminds me of an ancient Samurai story about a disciple of Japan's greatest swordsmith, Masamune. This excerpt is taken from the novel, The 47th Samurai, by Stephen Hunter:
"A disciple of Japan's greatest swordsmith, Masamune, believes he has finally made a better blade than his teacher. Being vain and ambitious, he demands a competition. The old man resists but ultimately relents. The young man's blade is placed in a stream. Things drift down: it cuts...everything, twigs and leaves and fish. It cuts garbage and paper and bubbles. Everything that floats it sunders. Then the old man's blade is placed in the water. It cuts...nothing. Whatever floats to it is magically diverted. After a time, the young man exults.
I have won! My blade is better! My blade cuts everything, his nothing!
Old Masamune pulls his blade from the water with a smile.
Admit it, Master, says the young man. Mine is better. It cuts everything.
Old Masamune walks away, satisfied.
The young man sees a priest, who has watched the action.
Priest, tell him how much better my blade is. Make him see.
No, says the priest. His blade knew the way. It saw nothing that had to be cut. It brought no harm into the world. It has come to help the world; it is a blade of justice. Your blade, on the other hand, cut everything without discrimination. It is an evil blade. It has no morality. It should be destroyed."
The Master's blade is with Israel, whose steely resolve and military might continues to keep in check the numerous armies that surround them. While Israel possesses the advanced arsenal and weaponry necessary to deliver massive destruction on an apocalyptic scale to its dissatisfied neighbors, it chooses not to. Israel does not claim the deliberate murder of civilians as terrorists do but to the freedom and welfare of its countrymen and the spread of democracy to whomever desires its freeing effects. In truth, as George Washington once wrote, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." Unlike the West, who cannot comprehend at all what life is like in the Middle East except for what the state-controlled media lay claim to, Israel understands that nothing can ever justify terrorism - toward anyone. Like the justice blade of Masamune, which is moral and sharp, the world is a better place because of Israel. They remain a powerful force for good in a world gone dark and a true brother and friend to the United States. Sadly, however, many are unwilling to recognize their won sovereignty and their proven and committed efforts to rid the world of terror, viewing them instead as the "Little Satan." The old Psalm rings true, "And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love." (109:5)
Appropriately, on July 4, 1976, after a 53 minute rescue operation in an airport terminal at Entebbe, Uganda, an elite Israeli commando unit successfully rescued 103 hostages, killing all the hijackers who had brought them there by plane along with many of their Ugandan sympathizers. In one week, Israel had been able to formulate a stratagem to rescue their countrymen, gain the approval from their governing body, even attempt at negotiations despite the futility of such an endeavor, only to arrive in Uganda under cover of darkness in one of the greatest rescue missions ever undertaken - all completed in less than an hour. I mention this heroic operation, "Operation Thunderbolt," as evidence for moral clarity, excellence, and the righteous cause of freedom. In the wake of the mission, Israel rightfully received more support for its actions than condemnation. In his address to the United Nations Security Council, Israeli ambassador Chaim Herzog said:
"We come with a simple message to the Council: we are proud of what we have done because we have demonstrated to the world that a small country, in Israel's circumstances, with which the members of this Council are by now all too familiar, the dignity of man, human life and human freedom constitute the highest values. We are proud not only because we have saved the lives of over a hundred innocent people - men, women, and children - but because of the significance of our act for the cause of human freedom."
Imagine how different the world would be if all nations stood in defiance to tyranny and terror with the same confidence that Israel so efficiently demonstrated in their answer to the terrorist actions made against them. In addition, with how David stood before Goliath, solemnly declaring the Lord's assurance that he would be able to "take thine head from thee." I would expect that international terror would no longer be able to function or receive sanctuary from their crimes against humanity; its entire network collapsing under the pulled rug of economic and political influence.
One of my favorite phrases in Latin is the term "Obsta Principiis," which means, "oppose bad things when they are small." This wise maxim would do us well if appropriately applied in all areas of our lives - at home, work, school, community, and nation. We must possess the will to win. Evil is like interest, it never sleeps, therefore it, like freedom, requires our constant vigilance. As Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "We have received a wake-up call from hell. Now, the question is simple: Do we rally to defeat this evil, while there is still time, or do we press a collective snooze button and go back to business as usual?"
It is my prayer and hope that we will lift up our heads, wipe the sand from our eyes and hair, and embrace freedom with our brothers in Israel, demanding from our leaders their support for that great country - at all costs - so that we can share in their grief and defiance as they did with us when our own nation was on fire on 9/11. I love the people of Israel and their unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom and peace. Let us not forget the cost of freedom and to recognize more abundantly the guiding hand of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, who holds our two great nations graven upon his bruised palms by which all things have been and are made possible.
May we never have to bemoan the words, "Blind among enemies, O worse than chains."
Today we are all Israelis.
Long live the fighters
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Liberal's Fiddle
Nero's 14 year reign as emperor of Rome is considered by many historians to be a period of tyrannical and extravagant rule by the unfavorable leader. So absorbed with wealth and fame, Nero sought to reconstruct Rome with huge palaces and temples along with a 120 foot golden statue of himself rather than rule in favor of the people and their individual liberties. His lofty visions of an empire turned stylish devalued the dollar to the point of economic ruin. As well did he find displeasure with the Christians whom he placed blame for the Great Fire that overtook the city in 64, choosing to illuminate his palace garden at night with their captured torched bodies. Further accounts also make the claim that Nero played the fiddle while the city burned, himself dressed in full theatrical costume as if he were on stage. In short, torture, murder, and excess define the reign of this tyrant, a man enslaved by his own passions and the lust for public adulation. In the end, he did what all tyrants and dictators seem to do when faced with a just insurrection of the citizenry - commit suicide. Perhaps Cato said it best when he declared, "Whoever will pretend to govern a People without regarding them, will soon repent it." Regrettably, we are once again living in the time of Nero, only this time it is our own nation that is on fire - a conflagration set by the dirty hands of king-men who rejoice in the sufferings of the people and the demise of the Constitution. And in the distance, through all the smoke and haze, the rightly tuned ear can distinguish the riotous sound of the same fiddle being played without pause to the depressing tune of modern liberalism.
I have often wondered what the x-ray film of a liberal's skeleton would look like. In fact, I wonder more if there exists any firmness at all within their slouched, bendy forms. Careless and soft, emotional and vacuous of any sound reasoning, the liberal mind is truly 'matter unorganized.' To put it more simply, "Tis hard for an empty bag to stand upright." Indeed, the inner cobwebby chambers of the liberal brain are just that - unused and wasted - as a well whose deeper watery abundance sits untapped and unexploited, waiting to rise on the saving light of Reason. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, the elitists sense of piety and knowledge for what they feel is right in the moment is as non-producing as a dog whistle - an inaudible sound distinguished only by the flapping tongues of liberal dogs after the attention of misleading masters. The ancient Samurai elaborated on this concept further:
"Reason is four-cornered and will not move even in an extreme situation. Woman [Liberal] is round. One can say that she does not distinguish between good or evil or right and wrong and tumbles into any place at all."
While I do not at all agree with the above notion that women are mindless and without direction, I do acknowledge the same 'tumbling' nature of the liberal wicked and their 'nest mentality' to swallow anything and everything in one gulp without assessing the complete contents first. "Government is not reason," said George Washington, "it is not eloquence - it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Indeed, the Founders looked upon government as a volatile and wild instrument of explosive power which must be harnessed within the confines of a strictly interpreted Constitution, or else it would destroy the very freedoms for which it was designed to preserve.
Without the reigning in of government power, the people quickly lose their own and in the process their individual sovereignty, hard-earned fortunes, and sacred honor. Therefore, it is up to us to resist the pull of government increase and to ignore public sentiment and its cradling of immoral and gross conduct in order to reestablish a Republic built upon the foundation of Christ, "which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) Tragically, we have suffered fools far too long and voted for worse. Now past feeling, do many march in step to the destructive anthem of government control, played on a fiddle whose originating source echoes from the gallery floor of the Capitol Building. Like Nero, modern liberalism sits perched upon its own ivory tower, savoring the view of a nation on fire with the same gladness as a bird watching worms emerge after a rainstorm. Careful though they are not to acknowledge the direction from whence the life-sustaining moisture comes! Such is the case of the damned. They care not for the freedom and welfare of their countrymen but for their abject poverty and oppression. So wroth with the Ten Commandments and of a Power greater than themselves that they fail to experience any real joy in life, instead turning inward like a dead star through which light can no longer enter. But the truth is our weapon. To oppose it is folly - like an ant attempting to resist the heavy foot stepping upon it.
In this climate of political correctness, calling evil evil and good good is as revolutionary a statement as burning the flag. Ironically, this is exactly how the liberal mind demonstrates its defiance to God's rule -the desecration of heaven's banner. Like the king-men in the Book of Mormon, "who were in favor of kings...those of high birth...and they were supported by those who sought power and authority over the people," (Alma 51:13) today's liberal bee thrives on discontent and promotes division among the masses to deceive and to manipulate. Seething with contempt for the principles of liberty, these traitors would likewise refuse to take up arms to defend them and their country in a time of war. In response to such deliberate stubbornness and conscientious stupidity, Captain Moroni would surely deal with the king-men of today in the exact same way he did with the traitors of liberty during his time:
"14. And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of those people whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he was exceedingly wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them.
18. And it came to pass that the armies did march against them; and they did pull down their pride and their nobility, insomuch that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight against the men of Moroni they were hewn down and leveled to the earth.
20. And the remainder of those dissenters, rather than be smitten down to the earth by the sword, yielded to the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their country.
George Washington has also said, "In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness [religion and morality]." Furthermore, and more frightening as well as prophetic did Joseph Stalin declare, "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: it's patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."
As we fortify and defend these pillars of truth in both speech and action, the Lord will reward us for our integrity and courage with a portion of His Spirit, empowering us to stand ever the more firm and steadfast in defeat of the miserable, as an approaching person sends a frightened squirrel up a tree. By eternal truth, sin runs while Righteousness stands. And when confronted with the facts, the Great Puppeteer himself takes flight, leaving his subjects to stumble and collapse in consequence of their empty interiors until they are lying prone upon the earth, being compelled to humility before an all-merciful and powerful God.
Robert J. Matthews, former dean of religious education at BYU, described the liberal mind in this way, in context of Lucifer's plan proposed in the pre-earth Council:
"It seems strange to me that a third of all the spirits that had the potential to be born into this world would have favored a plan based on forced obedience. Most of us do not like to be forced. As I see it, the real issue was not so much one of force as it was that Lucifer said he would guarantee salvation for his spirit brothers and sisters. He promised salvation without excellence, without effort, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That is the lie he promulgated in the preearth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing."
Relatedly, the radical Saul Alinsky, in his book on radicalism and social control made this traitorous statement toward both nation and God:
"Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgement to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history...the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom." - Lucifer
This, my friends, is proof of their insanity. Know your enemy. As Goethe once said, "Our friends show us what we can do, our enemies teach us what we must do." May we not pull in our horizons as they do but expand them further through the cause of Christ. May we extinguish the flames of evil with the living water of the Savior, looking to Him as the only true and real source of lasting peace and strength. Finally, may the solid, steadying sound from our own united march lead us to victory as the armies of Joshua echoed at the walls of Jericho; and that through the dust and smoke created by wicked's flight from Virtue's Arm the Liberal's fiddle may be forever deprived just as Shakespeare wrote in his Coriolanus,
"When some certain of your brethren roar'd and ran
From the noise of our own drums."
Long live the fighters
I have often wondered what the x-ray film of a liberal's skeleton would look like. In fact, I wonder more if there exists any firmness at all within their slouched, bendy forms. Careless and soft, emotional and vacuous of any sound reasoning, the liberal mind is truly 'matter unorganized.' To put it more simply, "Tis hard for an empty bag to stand upright." Indeed, the inner cobwebby chambers of the liberal brain are just that - unused and wasted - as a well whose deeper watery abundance sits untapped and unexploited, waiting to rise on the saving light of Reason. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, the elitists sense of piety and knowledge for what they feel is right in the moment is as non-producing as a dog whistle - an inaudible sound distinguished only by the flapping tongues of liberal dogs after the attention of misleading masters. The ancient Samurai elaborated on this concept further:
"Reason is four-cornered and will not move even in an extreme situation. Woman [Liberal] is round. One can say that she does not distinguish between good or evil or right and wrong and tumbles into any place at all."
While I do not at all agree with the above notion that women are mindless and without direction, I do acknowledge the same 'tumbling' nature of the liberal wicked and their 'nest mentality' to swallow anything and everything in one gulp without assessing the complete contents first. "Government is not reason," said George Washington, "it is not eloquence - it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Indeed, the Founders looked upon government as a volatile and wild instrument of explosive power which must be harnessed within the confines of a strictly interpreted Constitution, or else it would destroy the very freedoms for which it was designed to preserve.
Without the reigning in of government power, the people quickly lose their own and in the process their individual sovereignty, hard-earned fortunes, and sacred honor. Therefore, it is up to us to resist the pull of government increase and to ignore public sentiment and its cradling of immoral and gross conduct in order to reestablish a Republic built upon the foundation of Christ, "which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) Tragically, we have suffered fools far too long and voted for worse. Now past feeling, do many march in step to the destructive anthem of government control, played on a fiddle whose originating source echoes from the gallery floor of the Capitol Building. Like Nero, modern liberalism sits perched upon its own ivory tower, savoring the view of a nation on fire with the same gladness as a bird watching worms emerge after a rainstorm. Careful though they are not to acknowledge the direction from whence the life-sustaining moisture comes! Such is the case of the damned. They care not for the freedom and welfare of their countrymen but for their abject poverty and oppression. So wroth with the Ten Commandments and of a Power greater than themselves that they fail to experience any real joy in life, instead turning inward like a dead star through which light can no longer enter. But the truth is our weapon. To oppose it is folly - like an ant attempting to resist the heavy foot stepping upon it.
In this climate of political correctness, calling evil evil and good good is as revolutionary a statement as burning the flag. Ironically, this is exactly how the liberal mind demonstrates its defiance to God's rule -the desecration of heaven's banner. Like the king-men in the Book of Mormon, "who were in favor of kings...those of high birth...and they were supported by those who sought power and authority over the people," (Alma 51:13) today's liberal bee thrives on discontent and promotes division among the masses to deceive and to manipulate. Seething with contempt for the principles of liberty, these traitors would likewise refuse to take up arms to defend them and their country in a time of war. In response to such deliberate stubbornness and conscientious stupidity, Captain Moroni would surely deal with the king-men of today in the exact same way he did with the traitors of liberty during his time:
"14. And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of those people whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he was exceedingly wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them.
18. And it came to pass that the armies did march against them; and they did pull down their pride and their nobility, insomuch that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight against the men of Moroni they were hewn down and leveled to the earth.
20. And the remainder of those dissenters, rather than be smitten down to the earth by the sword, yielded to the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their country.
George Washington has also said, "In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness [religion and morality]." Furthermore, and more frightening as well as prophetic did Joseph Stalin declare, "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: it's patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."
As we fortify and defend these pillars of truth in both speech and action, the Lord will reward us for our integrity and courage with a portion of His Spirit, empowering us to stand ever the more firm and steadfast in defeat of the miserable, as an approaching person sends a frightened squirrel up a tree. By eternal truth, sin runs while Righteousness stands. And when confronted with the facts, the Great Puppeteer himself takes flight, leaving his subjects to stumble and collapse in consequence of their empty interiors until they are lying prone upon the earth, being compelled to humility before an all-merciful and powerful God.
Robert J. Matthews, former dean of religious education at BYU, described the liberal mind in this way, in context of Lucifer's plan proposed in the pre-earth Council:
"It seems strange to me that a third of all the spirits that had the potential to be born into this world would have favored a plan based on forced obedience. Most of us do not like to be forced. As I see it, the real issue was not so much one of force as it was that Lucifer said he would guarantee salvation for his spirit brothers and sisters. He promised salvation without excellence, without effort, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That is the lie he promulgated in the preearth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing."
Relatedly, the radical Saul Alinsky, in his book on radicalism and social control made this traitorous statement toward both nation and God:
"Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgement to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history...the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom." - Lucifer
This, my friends, is proof of their insanity. Know your enemy. As Goethe once said, "Our friends show us what we can do, our enemies teach us what we must do." May we not pull in our horizons as they do but expand them further through the cause of Christ. May we extinguish the flames of evil with the living water of the Savior, looking to Him as the only true and real source of lasting peace and strength. Finally, may the solid, steadying sound from our own united march lead us to victory as the armies of Joshua echoed at the walls of Jericho; and that through the dust and smoke created by wicked's flight from Virtue's Arm the Liberal's fiddle may be forever deprived just as Shakespeare wrote in his Coriolanus,
"When some certain of your brethren roar'd and ran
From the noise of our own drums."
Long live the fighters
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
732 A.D.
Our world has been and continues to be one of constant warfare and struggle. The ideas and passions of men have always seemed to bring us to the brink of things; to the brink of discovery, to the brink of despair, or to the brink of war. In fact, one may say that we are a "brink species" that trots along life's edges with little care and caution for the small side step into oblivion. In the beginning - even during the Council in Heaven when Lucifer rejected God's plan for free agency - were these same passions made manifest in both good and bad ways. This was a time of decision and thoughtful consideration between two plans that would either ensure our salvation through power and control or allow us the opportunity to prove ourselves with the atoning help of a Savior. At that same time, when the majority of God's children vetoed the former proposal for collective control, did the devil begin to wage war against the warriors of light, drawing away the impulsive and indolent followers who sat in the rear and marginal sections of Heaven's Hall in open retreat of their reasoning capabilities. In what scripture has described as a celebratory moment, when "all the sons of God shouted for joy" at the plan for a Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, do we gain greater insight into the real reason for such rejoicings - personal responsibility. We were given the gift of agency to prove ourselves to see if we would either remain firm and steadfast unto God during the storms of life or stoop in our convictions "when stress and anguish cometh upon you." (Proverbs 1:27). To be sure, we all knew what was to come but we had hope and faith through Christ that all would be made possible if we would but sustain and defend His name at all times, and in all things, and in all places.
With that said, let us turn back in time to gaze upon a moment in history when the cause of Christians seemed to hang by a thread and the fate of a nation and an entire continent teetered on the brink of bondage. Choosing to fight in defense of their freedoms, country, and religion on a cold October dawn in the year 732 A.D. stood the Frankish Army, firm and immovable in their defense of the truth and shoulder to shoulder in their call to action. As well rose their proven leader and commander, a protector of France (and in the literal sense all of northern Europe at this point of time) who had acquired a reputation as a brilliant strategic general for his uncommon ability to discern the intentions of his enemies. Never assuming the title of king, he served his countrymen with skill and honor toward a more unified France in the face of a massive invading army which for the past hundred years had swept across much of Asia, Northern Africa, Spain, and even the southernmost parts of France itself, replacing the Cross with a crescent moon upon every conquered tower. Feeling poised to overtake the rest of Europe, the Saracen felt confident that this next engagement would end in victory. But in their haste they were sorely disappointed. With the fate of Europe in his hands, this righteous contrarian of Islamic rule rose to greatness in one of the most historic battles between two great faiths, distinguishing the defenders of Christ from the attackers of Allah. The man was Charles Martel, who, after a seven-day engagement at the Battle of Tours would be given the new name of "The Hammer."
Fear was not whispered among his ranks nor were the caws of starving crows heard above their tight formation. Snow fell in light patterns upon their exposed brows while the Muslim hoard waited and waited for the signal to march. Charles Martel acted similarly but with a cooler confidence that assured him the Muslims would be compelled to strike first. This he anticipated from the beginning and his plan had once again proven to be the right one. Finally, on the seventh day the waiting game ended at which time Abd er Rahman, the leader of the Muslim force, hurriedly advanced his army. With a heavily armored cavalry and mailed horsemen the Muslims felt the French military infantry would fall to pieces just as so many other infidels had done during their previous campaigns. But they sorely underestimated the French army who stood fast amidst the sound of thunderous hooves - drawing themselves up in a large square, unbreakable and tight. Their hold was so efficient that one Arab account described it as such:
"And in the shock of the battle the men of the North seemed like a sea that cannot be moved. Firmly they stood, one close to another, forming as it were a bulwark of ice; and with great blows of their swords they hewed down the Arabs. Drawn up in a band around their chief, the people of the Austrasians carried all before them. Their tireless hands drove their swords down to the breasts of the foe."
Still another account states that:
"The northern peoples remained as immobile as a wall, holding together like a glacier in the cold regions. In the blink of an eye, they annihilated the Arabs with the sword."
During the intense fighting, Charles Martel provided a distraction whereby some of his scouts moved into the Muslim encampment to obtain their conquered loot. Suddenly made aware of their movements, the Muslim force turned in haste back to their camp to protect their stolen goods only to be joined by their remaining force who mistakenly believed they were in full retreat. Now completely surrounded, "the Hammer" fell hard upon them, killing Abd er Rahman in the process. Leaderless, the Arab throng broke off the fight. "The Hammer" had won.
"All the host fled before the enemy," wrote one Arab source, "and many died in the fight." It's been written that the ratio of Muslim to Christian dead was about 370:1! It is highly likely the Islamic world took the loss hard referring to it as the "the deadly battle" and "the disgraceful overthrow." Needless to say, the Muslim army did not renew the battle, choosing instead under cover of darkness to retreat in full back to their own country. While there are many accounts written about this battle and just as many differing opinions about its overall significance, I believe the underlying truth of it is that a group of men stood fast in their righteous cause facing proven death and won. Just as Vice cannot stand for one moment before Virtue's uplifted arm, so will evil also run like the emperor with no clothes on when confronted by a virtuous band of Christian men. Unafraid and prepared they were in battle, every soldier a "hammer" in his own right.
Charles Martel is considered a savior among men for his war efforts in Europe which repelled the Muslim advance from taking over the entire continent. I applaud his dedication to the cause of liberty and for his belief in Christ. Surely the world needs more men like "the Hammer" who in the face of adversity will not fall into submission, but will stand in defense of the truth no matter the cost. Men like this cannot be defeated. They assert themselves with confidence toward greater personal and spiritual refinement. For even in opposition there is that which edifies.
I close this post with the words of William J. Bennett, who gave a lecture to the United States Naval Academy on November 24, 1997. He stated:
"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
Ask ourselves: Are we merely interested in doing good and standing up for truth when it is most convenient? Or, are we committed to our first principles and the fight against tyranny and oppression at all costs? It is my hope that we may all stand fast, shoulder to shoulder, drawing ourselves into the same large square as Charles Martel and his men did only this time in defense of our own national sovereignty from political corruption and global terror. Let us hold together like a glacier, immovable as a wall in defiance of evil, being without guilt or shame in the cause of truth and our righteous values, marching farther away from the brink of national and spiritual ruin.
Long live the fighters
With that said, let us turn back in time to gaze upon a moment in history when the cause of Christians seemed to hang by a thread and the fate of a nation and an entire continent teetered on the brink of bondage. Choosing to fight in defense of their freedoms, country, and religion on a cold October dawn in the year 732 A.D. stood the Frankish Army, firm and immovable in their defense of the truth and shoulder to shoulder in their call to action. As well rose their proven leader and commander, a protector of France (and in the literal sense all of northern Europe at this point of time) who had acquired a reputation as a brilliant strategic general for his uncommon ability to discern the intentions of his enemies. Never assuming the title of king, he served his countrymen with skill and honor toward a more unified France in the face of a massive invading army which for the past hundred years had swept across much of Asia, Northern Africa, Spain, and even the southernmost parts of France itself, replacing the Cross with a crescent moon upon every conquered tower. Feeling poised to overtake the rest of Europe, the Saracen felt confident that this next engagement would end in victory. But in their haste they were sorely disappointed. With the fate of Europe in his hands, this righteous contrarian of Islamic rule rose to greatness in one of the most historic battles between two great faiths, distinguishing the defenders of Christ from the attackers of Allah. The man was Charles Martel, who, after a seven-day engagement at the Battle of Tours would be given the new name of "The Hammer."
Fear was not whispered among his ranks nor were the caws of starving crows heard above their tight formation. Snow fell in light patterns upon their exposed brows while the Muslim hoard waited and waited for the signal to march. Charles Martel acted similarly but with a cooler confidence that assured him the Muslims would be compelled to strike first. This he anticipated from the beginning and his plan had once again proven to be the right one. Finally, on the seventh day the waiting game ended at which time Abd er Rahman, the leader of the Muslim force, hurriedly advanced his army. With a heavily armored cavalry and mailed horsemen the Muslims felt the French military infantry would fall to pieces just as so many other infidels had done during their previous campaigns. But they sorely underestimated the French army who stood fast amidst the sound of thunderous hooves - drawing themselves up in a large square, unbreakable and tight. Their hold was so efficient that one Arab account described it as such:
"And in the shock of the battle the men of the North seemed like a sea that cannot be moved. Firmly they stood, one close to another, forming as it were a bulwark of ice; and with great blows of their swords they hewed down the Arabs. Drawn up in a band around their chief, the people of the Austrasians carried all before them. Their tireless hands drove their swords down to the breasts of the foe."
Still another account states that:
"The northern peoples remained as immobile as a wall, holding together like a glacier in the cold regions. In the blink of an eye, they annihilated the Arabs with the sword."
During the intense fighting, Charles Martel provided a distraction whereby some of his scouts moved into the Muslim encampment to obtain their conquered loot. Suddenly made aware of their movements, the Muslim force turned in haste back to their camp to protect their stolen goods only to be joined by their remaining force who mistakenly believed they were in full retreat. Now completely surrounded, "the Hammer" fell hard upon them, killing Abd er Rahman in the process. Leaderless, the Arab throng broke off the fight. "The Hammer" had won.
"All the host fled before the enemy," wrote one Arab source, "and many died in the fight." It's been written that the ratio of Muslim to Christian dead was about 370:1! It is highly likely the Islamic world took the loss hard referring to it as the "the deadly battle" and "the disgraceful overthrow." Needless to say, the Muslim army did not renew the battle, choosing instead under cover of darkness to retreat in full back to their own country. While there are many accounts written about this battle and just as many differing opinions about its overall significance, I believe the underlying truth of it is that a group of men stood fast in their righteous cause facing proven death and won. Just as Vice cannot stand for one moment before Virtue's uplifted arm, so will evil also run like the emperor with no clothes on when confronted by a virtuous band of Christian men. Unafraid and prepared they were in battle, every soldier a "hammer" in his own right.
Charles Martel is considered a savior among men for his war efforts in Europe which repelled the Muslim advance from taking over the entire continent. I applaud his dedication to the cause of liberty and for his belief in Christ. Surely the world needs more men like "the Hammer" who in the face of adversity will not fall into submission, but will stand in defense of the truth no matter the cost. Men like this cannot be defeated. They assert themselves with confidence toward greater personal and spiritual refinement. For even in opposition there is that which edifies.
I close this post with the words of William J. Bennett, who gave a lecture to the United States Naval Academy on November 24, 1997. He stated:
"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
Ask ourselves: Are we merely interested in doing good and standing up for truth when it is most convenient? Or, are we committed to our first principles and the fight against tyranny and oppression at all costs? It is my hope that we may all stand fast, shoulder to shoulder, drawing ourselves into the same large square as Charles Martel and his men did only this time in defense of our own national sovereignty from political corruption and global terror. Let us hold together like a glacier, immovable as a wall in defiance of evil, being without guilt or shame in the cause of truth and our righteous values, marching farther away from the brink of national and spiritual ruin.
Long live the fighters
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Way of the Hive
Joseph Smith once declared the following in reference to the Lord's work here on the earth:
"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."
At times the cause for truth can feel overwhelming and uncertain. In truth, the path to God is not a smooth one, nor does it carry us forth on its own like an airport flat escalator. God expects more of us and we should reach for more if we wish to become like Him. Contrary to the ignorant, the road to discipleship is not easy for we are told that we must suffer our own cross and "bear the shame of the world." (Jacob 1:8) Ease does not make a man great just as a smooth sea cannot make a skillful mariner. In these troubled times, when the world appears half-empty, we must consider the brotherhood of the Lord in the famous hymn, Onward, Christian Soldiers. One can only imagine the uninspiring tone and lack of fervency from the same song if it was called Fleeing, Christian Soldiers or Backward, Christian Soldiers! As I will point out later on, this is the sad case of many burned out "Contrarians" who begin to question their fealty to the Savior and His cause out of added deference to the magnetic, collective delusion of the crowd. Only through Christ can we cultivate a strong inner compass and character whose inner mooring can direct us through the storms of tyranny. As we resist the pressures of the world and act on our own internal judgments rather than the mores of the mob, we will be victorious and qualify ourselves for true discipleship. An excerpt from Onward, Christian Soldiers:
"Hell's foundations quiver at the sight of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise."
Elder Neal A. Maxwell declared: "Those of us who are already believers need to make of our discipleship a lean and trim thing, for these times require it. What the living Church must do to fulfill the purposes of the living God will take all that we have, for these are not casual times. Rather, these are times in which there will be culminating events of staggering proportions, so in the midst of such convergence we must pull ourselves together. Jesus' brief stumbling while carrying the cross is a reminder as to how close to the very edge of our strength God stretches us at times."
But time is always on the side of truth and we can rest assured that those who reject the facts in favor of theory will one day know, just as Esau, that their mess of pottage did not really satisfy nor leave them wanting for more. Still consumed with the bitter taste of sin, they cannot wash their mouths out with fuller's soap, but must first pass through the refiner's fire of Christ's atonement to be purged and purified of their corruptible ways. Only then, will the sinner more definitively turn against sin and remember once more, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell exclaimed, that "there really is a God, that there really is a Savior, Jesus Christ, that there really is impending immortality for all men, that there really will be a judgment with genuine personal accountability, and that there really is a purpose in life and a divine plan of happiness for man." Here we will also gain greater perspective and power through the 'spartanizing of our souls' to be upright and fearless on the path of truth, a way where we must always keep our balance. "For straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
Our enemies, both in the physical and spiritual realm, continually seek our destruction and collective misery. Their subtle process of assimilation from culture to crudity weakens our second estate from thinker to reactionary, caution to impulse, freedom to bondage, and life to death. Their strategy is to depress our resolve and make us question who we really are through their own siren song of popularity, wealth, and prestige; as if what we owned defined who we really were! Not being settled within their own soul, and impressed by words and images, many betray themselves for the salivary gland of Pavlov's dog, which foams and froths to the bell of determined response, turning them self-less. Now turned in their beliefs, the once valiant contrarians yield to impulse and undergo a transformation to the collective mind, changing the hero to a coward.
Is it possible then to oppose anything when the opposition seems so futile? Absolutely! Can one person really make a difference? Yes! It takes but one rock to create ripples in water; the first of which signifies our families, then our neighbors, followed by the community, city, and then the state before spreading throughout the entire nation. Remember that it is we the people who constitute the water.
Like the cybernetic race in Star Trek known as the Borg, deniers of liberty and righteousness make the same claim that 'resistance is futile.' In their collective network, each "drone" follows in kind to the next one and so on at the cost of individual liberty and personal sovereignty. The resultant 'undifferentiated ego mass' then swells under the false pretense of perfection, inspiring it to consume and control any and all that pass by it. Similarly, on the narrow road towards discipleship lie many pitstops with flashing lights and neon signs, outlining the shapes of tempters who beckon for the burned out individual to come and rest in their hollow dwellings. Lamentably, many lose sight of the one true mark and fall by the wayside where they are quickly overcome by the moving crowd, or interconnected collective, beneath whose murmuring cries they fall quickly into submission, losing themselves in the process within the same mass of uninterrupted noise. Induced to groupthink, the conscious personality swiftly vanishes; will and discernment are lost; and the unconscious qualities that make man beastly obtain the upper hand as grains of sand are stirred up at will in the wind. "Though Satan postures as a nonconformist," wrote Elder Neal A. Maxwell in his powerful book 'Things As They Really Are,' "my, how the adversary likes his lemmings to line up and march - toward self-destruction - to the most conforming cadence caller of them all!" Yet remarkably, many still leap to surrender their agency, marching in step to the false greeting of hosannas by wolves in sheep's clothing. May we live like the early Pioneer leaders who, as President J. Reuben Clark once confidently described:
"Upright men they were, and fearless, unmindful of what men thought or said of them, if they were in their line of duty. Calumny, slander, derision, scorn left them unmoved, if they were treading the straight and narrow way. Uncaring they were of men's blame and censure, if the Lord approved them. Unswayed they were by the promise of men, to wander from the path of truth. Endowed by the spirit of discernment, they knew when kind words were mere courtesy, and when they betokened honest interest. They moved neither to the right nor to the left form the path of truth to court the good favor of men."
"Hell's foundations quiver at the sight of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise."
Elder Neal A. Maxwell declared: "Those of us who are already believers need to make of our discipleship a lean and trim thing, for these times require it. What the living Church must do to fulfill the purposes of the living God will take all that we have, for these are not casual times. Rather, these are times in which there will be culminating events of staggering proportions, so in the midst of such convergence we must pull ourselves together. Jesus' brief stumbling while carrying the cross is a reminder as to how close to the very edge of our strength God stretches us at times."
But time is always on the side of truth and we can rest assured that those who reject the facts in favor of theory will one day know, just as Esau, that their mess of pottage did not really satisfy nor leave them wanting for more. Still consumed with the bitter taste of sin, they cannot wash their mouths out with fuller's soap, but must first pass through the refiner's fire of Christ's atonement to be purged and purified of their corruptible ways. Only then, will the sinner more definitively turn against sin and remember once more, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell exclaimed, that "there really is a God, that there really is a Savior, Jesus Christ, that there really is impending immortality for all men, that there really will be a judgment with genuine personal accountability, and that there really is a purpose in life and a divine plan of happiness for man." Here we will also gain greater perspective and power through the 'spartanizing of our souls' to be upright and fearless on the path of truth, a way where we must always keep our balance. "For straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
Our enemies, both in the physical and spiritual realm, continually seek our destruction and collective misery. Their subtle process of assimilation from culture to crudity weakens our second estate from thinker to reactionary, caution to impulse, freedom to bondage, and life to death. Their strategy is to depress our resolve and make us question who we really are through their own siren song of popularity, wealth, and prestige; as if what we owned defined who we really were! Not being settled within their own soul, and impressed by words and images, many betray themselves for the salivary gland of Pavlov's dog, which foams and froths to the bell of determined response, turning them self-less. Now turned in their beliefs, the once valiant contrarians yield to impulse and undergo a transformation to the collective mind, changing the hero to a coward.
Is it possible then to oppose anything when the opposition seems so futile? Absolutely! Can one person really make a difference? Yes! It takes but one rock to create ripples in water; the first of which signifies our families, then our neighbors, followed by the community, city, and then the state before spreading throughout the entire nation. Remember that it is we the people who constitute the water.
Like the cybernetic race in Star Trek known as the Borg, deniers of liberty and righteousness make the same claim that 'resistance is futile.' In their collective network, each "drone" follows in kind to the next one and so on at the cost of individual liberty and personal sovereignty. The resultant 'undifferentiated ego mass' then swells under the false pretense of perfection, inspiring it to consume and control any and all that pass by it. Similarly, on the narrow road towards discipleship lie many pitstops with flashing lights and neon signs, outlining the shapes of tempters who beckon for the burned out individual to come and rest in their hollow dwellings. Lamentably, many lose sight of the one true mark and fall by the wayside where they are quickly overcome by the moving crowd, or interconnected collective, beneath whose murmuring cries they fall quickly into submission, losing themselves in the process within the same mass of uninterrupted noise. Induced to groupthink, the conscious personality swiftly vanishes; will and discernment are lost; and the unconscious qualities that make man beastly obtain the upper hand as grains of sand are stirred up at will in the wind. "Though Satan postures as a nonconformist," wrote Elder Neal A. Maxwell in his powerful book 'Things As They Really Are,' "my, how the adversary likes his lemmings to line up and march - toward self-destruction - to the most conforming cadence caller of them all!" Yet remarkably, many still leap to surrender their agency, marching in step to the false greeting of hosannas by wolves in sheep's clothing. May we live like the early Pioneer leaders who, as President J. Reuben Clark once confidently described:
"Upright men they were, and fearless, unmindful of what men thought or said of them, if they were in their line of duty. Calumny, slander, derision, scorn left them unmoved, if they were treading the straight and narrow way. Uncaring they were of men's blame and censure, if the Lord approved them. Unswayed they were by the promise of men, to wander from the path of truth. Endowed by the spirit of discernment, they knew when kind words were mere courtesy, and when they betokened honest interest. They moved neither to the right nor to the left form the path of truth to court the good favor of men."
Our mandate remains clear: "To concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound." We need to not only bear testimony of the truth, but to organize what we know so we can communicate it powerfully and quickly to others. It was Peter who said:
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you..." (1 Peter 3:15)
By so doing, we will be more fit to inspire confidence in those who hear us and the things we teach. The media machine will accuse people like you and me of trying to divide the people whilst in every other area they encourage dissent as being healthy. Hypocrites. By far the greatest danger to good sense, good citizenship, and the good life is a slavish subjection to tides and trends. When confronted with the truth, just as the money-mongering Jews were in the temple, these empty wells break down completely, reduced in rank to their truer forms as dust moving hither and thither beneath the spirited arm of Virtue. Such fools make great voters and willing slaves.
We need to be rigorous in our challenging of the status quo and the dogmatism of disbelievers just as Christ did so passionately throughout his ministry. In truth, "the history of liberty is the history of resistance." We know that in the end God's goodness and power will trump evil. Therefore, man's resistance to God is, by the same definition, futile. For as Neal A. Maxwell solemnly stated,
"And, if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!" (Neal A. Maxwell, “Why Not Now?” Ensign, Nov. 1974)
So how will we know if we are being deceived? Ask yourself: Are your better angels being awakened, or your worse ones? If we choose to put our faith in the arm of flesh and allow the secret combinations of Gadianton, whose father is the devil, to flourish and spread across our nation, to claim the sovereignty of all things under the heavens, even of our own personal freedoms, then we are no different than the honeybee, in whose crowded structure the cacophony of buzzing refuses all remembrances of the self; to be governed instead by the collective mind of a tyrannical mass.
Long live the fighters
We need to be rigorous in our challenging of the status quo and the dogmatism of disbelievers just as Christ did so passionately throughout his ministry. In truth, "the history of liberty is the history of resistance." We know that in the end God's goodness and power will trump evil. Therefore, man's resistance to God is, by the same definition, futile. For as Neal A. Maxwell solemnly stated,
"And, if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!" (Neal A. Maxwell, “Why Not Now?” Ensign, Nov. 1974)
So how will we know if we are being deceived? Ask yourself: Are your better angels being awakened, or your worse ones? If we choose to put our faith in the arm of flesh and allow the secret combinations of Gadianton, whose father is the devil, to flourish and spread across our nation, to claim the sovereignty of all things under the heavens, even of our own personal freedoms, then we are no different than the honeybee, in whose crowded structure the cacophony of buzzing refuses all remembrances of the self; to be governed instead by the collective mind of a tyrannical mass.
Long live the fighters
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Hydra of Evil
In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a many-headed monster which, for every head cut off, two more sprung up from the stump. While we have all by now learned of the US victory over Osama Bin Laden and continue to celebrate his long-awaited demise, let us not grow too merry with rejoicing at the expense of our vigilance on the war on terror. You can be sure that replacements are already underway or in command of his derelict desert posse; but keep in mind that this in no way signifies the end of injustice in the world. In truth, it will increase it. The war on terror is not over nor has the trump sounded for world peace to be ushered in by the mere slaying of one of the hydra's heads. One head lost does not defeat the beast. This is because everything in life leaves its mark, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. Bin Laden was no exception. His death has already produced a new generation of suicidal followers. When one falls, five hearts are set afire with vengeance for this is the way of things. Only the naive think there is but one terrorist head and that after his removal we can put the safety back on our guns. If only evil were that simple in its operation. But like a scatterplot diagram, evil is everywhere, some cells still dormant while others lay awake. With that said, allow me to express my feelings of restrain by this most recent development in two specific ways:
1-FDR once made the statement that, "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." When Obama's poll numbers are at an all-time low and the US economy is in ruins with a looming debt ceiling increase pending approval, is it not interesting for such a story to occur now? The mind is such an easy thing to distract and manipulate insofar as you can heighten emotions and sing the siren song of peace, hope, and change; for pliable becomes the mind of a man in constant celebration. This was why the Roman Coliseum proved so effectual - it was desensitizing. Meanwhile, the landscape architects were busily usurping control over the empire in planning its demise unbeknownst to the carousing masses.
2-Evil never rests. The devil does not sleep nor take vacations. How comedic it is that the Taliban has now made an official declaration for the opening of its spring offensive against the infidels. What!? As if mass murder had a time and season for best produce like Florida oranges. Ridiculous. Thomas Jefferson once said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Indeed it is. Bin Laden is dead. Hooray! Now what? We must persist in our offensive against evil until justice is served and the Lord our God declares the work is done. We must engage the world with both eyes open and watch the news in the same way. We need to think and scrutinize the things we hear and then afterwards repeat to ourselves the wise phrase: "Si Tibi Vera Videtur, Dede Manus; aut, si falsum est, accingere contra," or, "If the reasoning seems to you true, give in; or, if it is false, gird yourself against it." Remember that politicians are politicians first and are vigilant only in their search for opportunities to elevate themselves, both in crises and celebrations such as the one we now share; sadly though, their main interests are self-interests at best, if not really for their own self-preservation altogether.
Osama Bin Laden left this world in a barrage of bullets. How glorious. I would love to shake the hand of the soldier who shot a devil. And at this time in our nation's history, when patriotism appears to be once again on the rise (at least for the next few days while the smell of discharged lead still lingers in the air and politicians don their flag lapel pins) may we forever remember the cost for freedom and our responsibility as Americans to be prepared at all times and in all things beginning in our homes with our families. Let us follow the "24-hour rule" in such matters: In victory, rejoice in your accomplishments until the following day. In loss, grieve only until the rising of the sun. Truly, we are not just saved by military might or even by the power of our collective will; for we, as Gary North exclaimed in his book Conspiracy: A Biblical View, "...are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, because He was God's substitute sacrifice for sinful men. Christ's victory over Satan and sin is in principle our personal and corporate victory over Satan and sin, in every area of life, including politics."
May we view this news as a good thing and remember its cost; raising our swords heavenward so they may be seared to cauterize the hydra's now open wound and seal it closed.
Long live the fighters
1-FDR once made the statement that, "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." When Obama's poll numbers are at an all-time low and the US economy is in ruins with a looming debt ceiling increase pending approval, is it not interesting for such a story to occur now? The mind is such an easy thing to distract and manipulate insofar as you can heighten emotions and sing the siren song of peace, hope, and change; for pliable becomes the mind of a man in constant celebration. This was why the Roman Coliseum proved so effectual - it was desensitizing. Meanwhile, the landscape architects were busily usurping control over the empire in planning its demise unbeknownst to the carousing masses.
2-Evil never rests. The devil does not sleep nor take vacations. How comedic it is that the Taliban has now made an official declaration for the opening of its spring offensive against the infidels. What!? As if mass murder had a time and season for best produce like Florida oranges. Ridiculous. Thomas Jefferson once said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Indeed it is. Bin Laden is dead. Hooray! Now what? We must persist in our offensive against evil until justice is served and the Lord our God declares the work is done. We must engage the world with both eyes open and watch the news in the same way. We need to think and scrutinize the things we hear and then afterwards repeat to ourselves the wise phrase: "Si Tibi Vera Videtur, Dede Manus; aut, si falsum est, accingere contra," or, "If the reasoning seems to you true, give in; or, if it is false, gird yourself against it." Remember that politicians are politicians first and are vigilant only in their search for opportunities to elevate themselves, both in crises and celebrations such as the one we now share; sadly though, their main interests are self-interests at best, if not really for their own self-preservation altogether.
Osama Bin Laden left this world in a barrage of bullets. How glorious. I would love to shake the hand of the soldier who shot a devil. And at this time in our nation's history, when patriotism appears to be once again on the rise (at least for the next few days while the smell of discharged lead still lingers in the air and politicians don their flag lapel pins) may we forever remember the cost for freedom and our responsibility as Americans to be prepared at all times and in all things beginning in our homes with our families. Let us follow the "24-hour rule" in such matters: In victory, rejoice in your accomplishments until the following day. In loss, grieve only until the rising of the sun. Truly, we are not just saved by military might or even by the power of our collective will; for we, as Gary North exclaimed in his book Conspiracy: A Biblical View, "...are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, because He was God's substitute sacrifice for sinful men. Christ's victory over Satan and sin is in principle our personal and corporate victory over Satan and sin, in every area of life, including politics."
May we view this news as a good thing and remember its cost; raising our swords heavenward so they may be seared to cauterize the hydra's now open wound and seal it closed.
Long live the fighters
"Fear is the Mind Killer"
To this day, Frank Herbert's novel, DUNE, is one of my most favorite books. I love the story with its desert setting, rich characters, plot-lines, and above all, the protagonist Paul Muad'dib whose unassuming rise to fame and leadership among the Freman people reveals an interesting lesson about heroes and the followers they produce. However, there is something more to the idea that with greater power comes a reduction of fear. In fact, when used with righteous intent and Godly purpose, the Lord will provide his servants with knowledge and power (in that order) which casteth out fear. The burning zeal then borne from such pure testimony will recoil any curse subsequently sent forth by God's enemies back upon themselves as well as make unafraid the warrior who chooses to stand up for what he knows is right; for that is the only way the war against evil can be won. We must remain self-confident, not just in our abilities and knowledge of the truth, but more importantly in our total dependence on the Savior and his Atonement wherein "if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) I know that I can have confidence because of the confidence the Lord has in me. Surely, the knowledge that God is on my side makes all the haters of light and liberty entirely insignificant, even as the dust of the earth. Flick.
In the story of Dune, Paul Atreides (later known by the appellation of Muad'dib), is forced to undergo a training exercise to determine if whether or not he is "human." In essence, he is meant to withstand a great burning pain after placing his hand inside a box while at the same time having a poisoned needle, or "gom-jabbar" placed against his neck to prick him in the event he withdraws. In the end, the heat and burning he experienced turned out to be pain by nerve induction only, with no agony or injury to his flesh. What is more, throughout the seemingly painful process, he repeated to himself the 'litany of fear' which reads as follows:
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
I love this. While repeating these lines, Paul was able to control the pain response within him until it stopped completely. The meaning of this is two-fold. First, that the feeling of pain can be overcome if not completely at least to where one can "endure it well enough." Second, as we center our focus on the Lord during our own "gom-jabbar" moments, reciting the "litany of Christ," we will find the strength necessary to overcome all trials and hardships just as He did in all things. With confidence, may we also recite these words aloud:
"For being afraid is the first consciousness of sin's entering in, for he that is made afraid has lost consciousness of self's own heritage with the Son; for we are heirs through Him to that Kingdom that is beyond all that that would make afraid, or that would cause a doubt in the heart of any." -Edgar Cayce
For Jesus did say, "...If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32) Confucius also urged people to think for themselves and stand up for what they felt was right. He told them, "If I feel in my heart that I am wrong, I must stand in fear even though my opponent is the least formidable of men. But if my own heart tells me that I am right, I shall go forward even against thousands and tens of thousands."
If you really think about it, the good guy has already won. If Christ is Lord of your life then in principle so have you. God is on our side. We are stronger than our enemies because we are right. Even if we personally do not win in our lifetimes, those who organize in terms of our principles and values, both taught and lived, will win. Numbers are inconsequential. I care not for the number of those pulling the other end of the rope to make me cross the line. What matters more is that I pull back. I only fear two individuals: God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. My line in the sand has been drawn. As we align our wills with their own, proclaim the truth in speech and action, and expose the wicked intents of corrupt leaders and their no-mind redcoat followers, we will rise above our fears through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it was He who calmed the storm in Galilee...as well as the sailor.
Long live the fighters
In the story of Dune, Paul Atreides (later known by the appellation of Muad'dib), is forced to undergo a training exercise to determine if whether or not he is "human." In essence, he is meant to withstand a great burning pain after placing his hand inside a box while at the same time having a poisoned needle, or "gom-jabbar" placed against his neck to prick him in the event he withdraws. In the end, the heat and burning he experienced turned out to be pain by nerve induction only, with no agony or injury to his flesh. What is more, throughout the seemingly painful process, he repeated to himself the 'litany of fear' which reads as follows:
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
I love this. While repeating these lines, Paul was able to control the pain response within him until it stopped completely. The meaning of this is two-fold. First, that the feeling of pain can be overcome if not completely at least to where one can "endure it well enough." Second, as we center our focus on the Lord during our own "gom-jabbar" moments, reciting the "litany of Christ," we will find the strength necessary to overcome all trials and hardships just as He did in all things. With confidence, may we also recite these words aloud:
"For being afraid is the first consciousness of sin's entering in, for he that is made afraid has lost consciousness of self's own heritage with the Son; for we are heirs through Him to that Kingdom that is beyond all that that would make afraid, or that would cause a doubt in the heart of any." -Edgar Cayce
For Jesus did say, "...If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32) Confucius also urged people to think for themselves and stand up for what they felt was right. He told them, "If I feel in my heart that I am wrong, I must stand in fear even though my opponent is the least formidable of men. But if my own heart tells me that I am right, I shall go forward even against thousands and tens of thousands."
If you really think about it, the good guy has already won. If Christ is Lord of your life then in principle so have you. God is on our side. We are stronger than our enemies because we are right. Even if we personally do not win in our lifetimes, those who organize in terms of our principles and values, both taught and lived, will win. Numbers are inconsequential. I care not for the number of those pulling the other end of the rope to make me cross the line. What matters more is that I pull back. I only fear two individuals: God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. My line in the sand has been drawn. As we align our wills with their own, proclaim the truth in speech and action, and expose the wicked intents of corrupt leaders and their no-mind redcoat followers, we will rise above our fears through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it was He who calmed the storm in Galilee...as well as the sailor.
Long live the fighters
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)