In Homer's epic narrative of the Trojan War, the Iliad, he recounts the siege of Troy and of the great demigod warrior, Achilles, who, despite his many heroic deeds and victories, still sought for something far greater. But what more could a half-man half-god wish to possess that he did not already? Moreover, what else could he do that he had not already demonstrated through skill, bravery and determination?
Toward the latter end of the Iliad, before the crucial turning point of the war, Homer suspends his narrative of the final days of the Trojan War [in about 530 lines] to describe a more personal and meaningful piece of information - that of Achilles' shield. To some, the telling of the shield seems to detract from the war itself or appear out of place - even unnecessary.
But Homer was no fool and even without his eyesight could see composed his masterful and epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. It is more than likely that his referencing the shield was aimed to remind the reader that war comes at a great cost and that no man, regardless of stature or prestige, fights for nothing. While some may fight for power and gain, many more choose to do so in defense of something greater - their lands, wives and families. Perhaps this is what really motivated Achilles and gave him purpose in battle - his long vision of a civilized life; not a life of advantage but one of simplicity which, ironically, he seems to eventually exchange for the immortality of his legend.
Still, others have postulated that Homer chose to break from the story to demonstrate the 'calm before the storm' as a result of Achilles' personal vendetta against Hector for the mistaken death of his cousin, Patroclus.
Even so, in the shield description we learn something very 'human' about Achilles - that beneath the fame and fanfare there was an ordinary man who, in spite of his many accomplishments and military skill, favored mortality and its limiting joys. In other words, he sought the 'good life,' the chance to settle down and savor the little things such as the sound of an afternoon breeze moving through trees or the smell of a woman's perfume who was his own. Or more accurately, as mentioned in the poem itself:
"The starry lights that heaven's high convex crown'd...Two cities radiant...one of peace and one of war...Along the street the new-made brides are led, with torches flaming to the nuptial bed...Another field rose high with waving grain...Ripe, in yellow gold, a vineyard shines...."[The Iliad, Book XVIII]
In sum, the shield depicts life as a series of contrasts - i.e. work and play, life and death, love and hate, war and peace - especially in the two cities as previously mentioned. In the first, a wedding is being celebrated while in the second there has been a murder and planned ambush as if to illustrate that man can never be free of conflict in life just as night invariably follows the day.
It is precisely because Homer took time away from his narrative in describing the shield that we learn an important truth about the world and how to sustain the orderly life beginning with the eternal truth that there is oppositional in all things, just as the prophet Lehi once declared:
"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good or bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness or misery, neither sense nor insensibility." (2 Nephi 2:11)
Achilles' greatest strength was his strength of vision for what he saw deeply he fought for passionately - no matter the cost - even if it meant not seeing the same dream fulfilled. William Jennings Bryan illustrated this concept best in his book, The Prince of Peace:
"Only the man of faith can be courageous. Confident that he fights on the side of Jehovah, he doubts not the success of his cause. What matters it whether he shares in the shouts of triumph? If every word spoken in behalf of truth has its influence and every deed done for the right weighs in the final account, it is immaterial to the Christian whether his eyes behold victory or whether he dies in the midst of the conflict."
William George Jordan also said that, "A great purpose in life, something that unifies the strands and threads of each day's thinking, something that takes the sting from the petty trials, sorrows, sufferings and blunders of life, is a great aid to concentration. Soldiers in battle may forget their wounds, or even be unconscious of them, in the inspiration of battling for what they believe is right."
With that said, may we consider more the shield of Achilles and put to heart its layered message that 'there is an opposition in all things' and that, like the two aforementioned cities, we can choose to live and fight for the one or the other - "the image one of peace, or one of war."
I like to believe that Achilles would have chosen the former.
Long live the fighters
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Baby No. 59
I have been haunted over the last few days by the image of a little infant boy removed from a sewage pipe after being literally flushed down the toilet by his mother. I struggled with seeing the video of the rescue but finally submitted, watching in disbelief that after an hour of being stuck in filth the small baby still breathed and had life. Truly, this was a miracle.
Once the pipe cover was finally removed, revealing the 6 pound 2 oz frame, the baby opened his mouth wide. It was as if he had been waiting to breathe in fresher air. At that point many things flashed before my eyes leaving myself breathless with all other thoughts suspended - the final one spawning the notion of just what a 'civilized' society today considers to be an appropriate waste product worthy of removal. And the fact that a person, or more pointedly a mother, could be led to believe that a newborn baby is somehow synonymous with 'waste' is beyond horrifying. Such cruelty, indifference and antipathy cannot be matched.
In a similar fashion have are our own morals and core principles been spiraling down to suffocate and die in a sea of our own created filth. Tragically, this man-made ocean is vast and very deep reflecting a perpetual pouring out of values no different than what occurred among the ancient Greeks and Romans who, in the end, both fell from greatness.
Perhaps the late Robert E. Howard said it best when his wild character, King Kull, exclaimed:
"The more I see of what you call civilization, the more highly I think of what you call savagery."
Have we fallen that far?
Once again, the fact that someone could flush a breathing, beating human baby down a decrepit pipe filled with waste and filth is beyond all moral comprehension. Truly, it grieves my soul. I may never really know how or why a mother could grant her baby's first breath within the confines of a sewage drain and considering my emotional reactions to the whole thing I would not be far removed from having such a person flushed down the same drain - only in pieces.
But, like the adulteress's accusers, I must also drop the stone of unrighteous judgment in obedience to the Master's command, who, in the end, will hold all things [and people] in their proper balance, especially the affairs of this infant baby's mother.
Now, while the majority of my posted blogs convey a message of real disdain and frustration for evil and political corruption in the world followed by a plan of action to correct it, it is of my opinion that this truly heart-wrenching story can in reality be one of gratitude and thanksgiving.
And here's why:
That in a country like China, where forced abortions are as routined as an early morning shower, there are still those with sufficient sense - or feeling - to recognize evil and then act accordingly in defense of the innocent.
By this truth alone do I still retain hope in humanity and the responsibility we all have to be 'my brother's keeper.'
On a more spiritual note, and given my personal interest and testimony of scripture I could not help but reflect on 'Baby No. 59' and wonder what the 59th chapter of Psalms in the Old Testament had to say, if anything, about this sort of thing. Upon careful review I did in fact find a sweet assurance and source of understanding in its final two verses.
They read:
"But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy." (vs. 16-17)
To be sure, God is merciful and permits his divine light to shine down on the good and the bad. I hope this baby's mother finds the help and healing she needs and can experience a mighty change of heart as a result of the one still beating inside her infant son's chest.
We live in a mad world that is fast losing its hold on all things pure and innocent - yea, even on our own young - but we must never quit or give in to the despair. Rather, just as the psalmist recorded, it is our duty to sing of His mercies and blessings and to rejoice in the saving of a newborn's life that by all accounts should not have survived.
So, I will forever pray that God's infinite goodness will continue to make itself manifest in the lives of good people who remain unafraid in their raising of the arm of virtue in defense of the weak - along with their voice(s) - in singing aloud His tender mercies over all in their day of trouble - especially Baby No. 59.
Long live the fighters
Once the pipe cover was finally removed, revealing the 6 pound 2 oz frame, the baby opened his mouth wide. It was as if he had been waiting to breathe in fresher air. At that point many things flashed before my eyes leaving myself breathless with all other thoughts suspended - the final one spawning the notion of just what a 'civilized' society today considers to be an appropriate waste product worthy of removal. And the fact that a person, or more pointedly a mother, could be led to believe that a newborn baby is somehow synonymous with 'waste' is beyond horrifying. Such cruelty, indifference and antipathy cannot be matched.
In a similar fashion have are our own morals and core principles been spiraling down to suffocate and die in a sea of our own created filth. Tragically, this man-made ocean is vast and very deep reflecting a perpetual pouring out of values no different than what occurred among the ancient Greeks and Romans who, in the end, both fell from greatness.
Perhaps the late Robert E. Howard said it best when his wild character, King Kull, exclaimed:
"The more I see of what you call civilization, the more highly I think of what you call savagery."
Have we fallen that far?
Once again, the fact that someone could flush a breathing, beating human baby down a decrepit pipe filled with waste and filth is beyond all moral comprehension. Truly, it grieves my soul. I may never really know how or why a mother could grant her baby's first breath within the confines of a sewage drain and considering my emotional reactions to the whole thing I would not be far removed from having such a person flushed down the same drain - only in pieces.
But, like the adulteress's accusers, I must also drop the stone of unrighteous judgment in obedience to the Master's command, who, in the end, will hold all things [and people] in their proper balance, especially the affairs of this infant baby's mother.
Now, while the majority of my posted blogs convey a message of real disdain and frustration for evil and political corruption in the world followed by a plan of action to correct it, it is of my opinion that this truly heart-wrenching story can in reality be one of gratitude and thanksgiving.
And here's why:
That in a country like China, where forced abortions are as routined as an early morning shower, there are still those with sufficient sense - or feeling - to recognize evil and then act accordingly in defense of the innocent.
By this truth alone do I still retain hope in humanity and the responsibility we all have to be 'my brother's keeper.'
On a more spiritual note, and given my personal interest and testimony of scripture I could not help but reflect on 'Baby No. 59' and wonder what the 59th chapter of Psalms in the Old Testament had to say, if anything, about this sort of thing. Upon careful review I did in fact find a sweet assurance and source of understanding in its final two verses.
They read:
"But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy." (vs. 16-17)
To be sure, God is merciful and permits his divine light to shine down on the good and the bad. I hope this baby's mother finds the help and healing she needs and can experience a mighty change of heart as a result of the one still beating inside her infant son's chest.
We live in a mad world that is fast losing its hold on all things pure and innocent - yea, even on our own young - but we must never quit or give in to the despair. Rather, just as the psalmist recorded, it is our duty to sing of His mercies and blessings and to rejoice in the saving of a newborn's life that by all accounts should not have survived.
So, I will forever pray that God's infinite goodness will continue to make itself manifest in the lives of good people who remain unafraid in their raising of the arm of virtue in defense of the weak - along with their voice(s) - in singing aloud His tender mercies over all in their day of trouble - especially Baby No. 59.
Long live the fighters
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Earth Day
Earth Day. What are we really focusing on? I'm convinced it's not really about saving the Earth but instead favoring mankind's ego. That is, that in his nothingness he believes he somehow has the power to destroy an entire planet - a world created by the hand of God?! How vain and foolish. The only way the Earth could be destroyed is if God willed it to be. It's that simple.
I love the following scripture in the Pearl of Great Price when Enoch stated:
"And it came to pass that [he] looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof. saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?" (Moses 7:48)
This short verse totally destroys and defeats the entire Green movement. For instance, the earth is pained and weary because of the wickedness of men. I don't ever recall CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases or bovine farts referenced as sins or listed on the Ten Commandments or ever being added to the seven recorded things the Lord hates:
"A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:32)
Better reread that last verse again just to be sure...nope. No mention of "Global warming," "global climate change," "global climate disruption" or "climate challenges." Recall again that the earth itself asks when it "shall rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me?" In other words, the earth is describing the filthiness upon its face as man himself rather than the ozone layer, sea levels, a lonely polar bear drifting upon a small ice sheet or melting glaciers. To be sure, there is no reference of man's industry ever going forth into the earth only that his wickedness [the things the Lord hates] has gone forth out of it. Again, wickedness never was greenhouse gas. It does not correlate with barometric pressure or temperature value - only to the degree of glory one will inherit after the Day of Judgment. That's it.
Indeed are the "great pollutions" mentioned in scripture really just the by-product of sin - homosexuality, infidelity, domestic abuse in all its forms, etc. It has less to do with car exhaust and more to do with the waste coming from human mouths.
Truly the earth is weary and disgusted with the manner in which its inhabitants are openly forsaking [natural] love and brotherly kindness in favor of warring against each other - neighbor against neighbor, husband against wife, friend against friend or child against parent as if sinning were a contact sport where the end goal is a medal - gold, silver or bronze. There can be no victory in sin, only defeat and submission.
To suggest that we, in our fallen and corruptible states, can disrupt the total physical state of our created planet is to make the claim that we are as capable of dethroning God, for the earth is His footstool and handiwork. But no matter the effort, the created can never destroy the Creator. He may attempt to undermine, reject or ignore Him and His counsel but, like the infamous Tower of Babel, he will invariably fall.
So in honor of Earth day, we ought to instead offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for this beautiful world we call home and not take it or Him for granted. We are truly nothing without Him and by comparison as insignificant when standing before the great sea or on a lofty mountain top.
In closing, I have always loved the Prologue to Michael Crichton's classic novel, Jurassic Park, where he describes the vanity of man and his foolishness to suggest that only he can destroy the planet. This fantastic excerpt was once read by the late Charlton Heston, a real patriot and conservationist of liberty and truth. And while there are some evolutionary components and significant dates mentioned which I do not support, the underlying message is still there and spot on. Here it is:
"You think man can destroy the planet? What intoxicating vanity. Let me tell you about our planet. Earth is four-and-a-half-billion-years-old. There's been life on it for nearly that long, 3.8 billion years. Bacteria first; later the first multicellular life, then the first complex creatures in the sea, on the land. Then finally the great sweeping ages of animals, the amphibians, the dinosaurs, at last the mammals, each one enduring millions on millions of years, great dynasties of creatures rising, flourishing, dying away -- all this against a background of continuous and violent upheaval. Mountain ranges thrust up, eroded away, cometary impacts, volcano eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving, an endless, constant, violent change, colliding, buckling to make mountains over millions of years.
Earth has survived everything in its time. It will certainly survive us. If all the nuclear weapons in the world went off at once and all the plants, all the animals died and the earth was sizzling hot for a hundred thousand years, life would survive, somewhere: under the soil, frozen in Arctic ice. Sooner or later, when the planet was no longer inhospitable, life would spread again. The evolutionary process would begin again. It might take a few billion years for life to regain its present variety. Of course, it would be very different from what it is now, but the earth would survive our folly, only we would not. If the ozone layer gets thinner, ultraviolet radiation sears the earth, so what? Ultraviolet radiation is good for life. It's powerful energy. It promotes mutation, change. Many forms of life will thrive with more UV radiation. Many others will die out.
Do you think this is the first time that's happened? Think about oxygen. Necessary for life now, but oxygen is actually a metabolic poison, a corrosive gas, like fluorine. When oxygen was first produced as a waste product by certain plant cells some three billion years ago, it created a crisis for all other life on earth. Those plants were polluting the environment, exhaling a lethal gas. Earth eventually had an atmosphere incompatible with life. Nevertheless, life on earth took care of itself. In the thinking of the human being a hundred years is a long time. A hundred years ago we didn't have cars, airplanes, computers or vaccines. It was a whole different world, but to the earth, a hundred years is nothing. A million years is nothing. This planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale.
We can't imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven't got the humility to try. We've been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we're gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us."
Only by humbling ourselves in prayer can we begin to heal. For the Lord has spoken it.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Long live the fighters
I love the following scripture in the Pearl of Great Price when Enoch stated:
"And it came to pass that [he] looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof. saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?" (Moses 7:48)
This short verse totally destroys and defeats the entire Green movement. For instance, the earth is pained and weary because of the wickedness of men. I don't ever recall CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases or bovine farts referenced as sins or listed on the Ten Commandments or ever being added to the seven recorded things the Lord hates:
"A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:32)
Better reread that last verse again just to be sure...nope. No mention of "Global warming," "global climate change," "global climate disruption" or "climate challenges." Recall again that the earth itself asks when it "shall rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me?" In other words, the earth is describing the filthiness upon its face as man himself rather than the ozone layer, sea levels, a lonely polar bear drifting upon a small ice sheet or melting glaciers. To be sure, there is no reference of man's industry ever going forth into the earth only that his wickedness [the things the Lord hates] has gone forth out of it. Again, wickedness never was greenhouse gas. It does not correlate with barometric pressure or temperature value - only to the degree of glory one will inherit after the Day of Judgment. That's it.
Indeed are the "great pollutions" mentioned in scripture really just the by-product of sin - homosexuality, infidelity, domestic abuse in all its forms, etc. It has less to do with car exhaust and more to do with the waste coming from human mouths.
Truly the earth is weary and disgusted with the manner in which its inhabitants are openly forsaking [natural] love and brotherly kindness in favor of warring against each other - neighbor against neighbor, husband against wife, friend against friend or child against parent as if sinning were a contact sport where the end goal is a medal - gold, silver or bronze. There can be no victory in sin, only defeat and submission.
To suggest that we, in our fallen and corruptible states, can disrupt the total physical state of our created planet is to make the claim that we are as capable of dethroning God, for the earth is His footstool and handiwork. But no matter the effort, the created can never destroy the Creator. He may attempt to undermine, reject or ignore Him and His counsel but, like the infamous Tower of Babel, he will invariably fall.
So in honor of Earth day, we ought to instead offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for this beautiful world we call home and not take it or Him for granted. We are truly nothing without Him and by comparison as insignificant when standing before the great sea or on a lofty mountain top.
In closing, I have always loved the Prologue to Michael Crichton's classic novel, Jurassic Park, where he describes the vanity of man and his foolishness to suggest that only he can destroy the planet. This fantastic excerpt was once read by the late Charlton Heston, a real patriot and conservationist of liberty and truth. And while there are some evolutionary components and significant dates mentioned which I do not support, the underlying message is still there and spot on. Here it is:
"You think man can destroy the planet? What intoxicating vanity. Let me tell you about our planet. Earth is four-and-a-half-billion-years-old. There's been life on it for nearly that long, 3.8 billion years. Bacteria first; later the first multicellular life, then the first complex creatures in the sea, on the land. Then finally the great sweeping ages of animals, the amphibians, the dinosaurs, at last the mammals, each one enduring millions on millions of years, great dynasties of creatures rising, flourishing, dying away -- all this against a background of continuous and violent upheaval. Mountain ranges thrust up, eroded away, cometary impacts, volcano eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving, an endless, constant, violent change, colliding, buckling to make mountains over millions of years.
Earth has survived everything in its time. It will certainly survive us. If all the nuclear weapons in the world went off at once and all the plants, all the animals died and the earth was sizzling hot for a hundred thousand years, life would survive, somewhere: under the soil, frozen in Arctic ice. Sooner or later, when the planet was no longer inhospitable, life would spread again. The evolutionary process would begin again. It might take a few billion years for life to regain its present variety. Of course, it would be very different from what it is now, but the earth would survive our folly, only we would not. If the ozone layer gets thinner, ultraviolet radiation sears the earth, so what? Ultraviolet radiation is good for life. It's powerful energy. It promotes mutation, change. Many forms of life will thrive with more UV radiation. Many others will die out.
Do you think this is the first time that's happened? Think about oxygen. Necessary for life now, but oxygen is actually a metabolic poison, a corrosive gas, like fluorine. When oxygen was first produced as a waste product by certain plant cells some three billion years ago, it created a crisis for all other life on earth. Those plants were polluting the environment, exhaling a lethal gas. Earth eventually had an atmosphere incompatible with life. Nevertheless, life on earth took care of itself. In the thinking of the human being a hundred years is a long time. A hundred years ago we didn't have cars, airplanes, computers or vaccines. It was a whole different world, but to the earth, a hundred years is nothing. A million years is nothing. This planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale.
We can't imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven't got the humility to try. We've been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we're gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us."
Only by humbling ourselves in prayer can we begin to heal. For the Lord has spoken it.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Long live the fighters
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
It is written...
The scriptures warn us that in the last days men's hearts shall in one way or another "wax cold," "fail them," or become "gross." And given the current state of things, one might as well say that the earth [or man] has already been falling from orbit away from the sun [God] and its [His] life-giving properties; going spiritless and unfeeling the farther it moves from its appointed center.
Evidence for such growing apathy comes from all those who cry foul and offense at every mention of God and His holy commandments. As a result of this, there are more hate crimes, political corruption, family dissolution, and global unrest. Even more, a person may with greater readiness reference ten celebrities and their current relationship status than the Ten Commandments and his or her standing with the Lord.
To describe this dramatic downturn from God even further, the gospel of Matthew states, with reference to the unbeliever or denier, that "their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:15)
What a joy it is to have the scriptures laid before us for our profit and learning! Truly did the prophets see our day and know of our doings. To deny their words of warning is to deny gravity while falling. At the same time, ignoring prophetic caution is like going to search for seashells during a tsunami - futile, irresponsible, reckless. And the only souvenir to be uncovered after such an event will be the cold and listless corpse of a life that could have been.
"Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown." (Rev 3:11) In other words, don't ever let go of your convictions and renounce your core beliefs because the only thing left to feel when all else has been forsaken or compromised is the hard ground itself. Surely, the words of Christ can help us discern truth from error and delineate the appropriate counter-offensive to those who find fault with Him and His eternal laws.
It is interesting to note that in scripture God and truth are always associated with light while falsehood and evil depicted by darkness.
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." (1 John 1:5-6)
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)
The world is increasingly changing and moving down a path as steep and foreboding as Dante's descent through the nine circles of hell, appearing to linger at the 6th circle - heresy - in an act of calculated division and dissidence from God. Like the prophets of old, namely Ether and Mormon, I am left to observe and to mourn the flagrant and open rejection of God and His commandments in a world once again gone flat. One cannot turn on the news today without hearing some mention of God and his being legislated out of existence, as if eternity could have an end! Such vanity is as foolish as it is appalling. Only a people devoid of light and discernment could attempt such an indiscretion and then have the audacity to call the honest believer a "Bible thumper."
In a recent interview, Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, commented that those who "thump" their Bibles only do so to back up their position on a matter. He went on to say that an attempt to reference or cite the Bible on a policy matter is a "sure lose." Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The only sure defeat here is in how dry our nation's spiritual well has become - not by ignorance, but from silence. Without sufficient faith, the Liahona for our nation is ceasing to work, leaving us hapless victims of a current whose final end is the vertical drop of Niagara Falls - the boundary line between life and death.
Again, it is precisely because we choose not to call upon scripture in defense of truth and 'policy' that we have as many problems as we do. There ought to be no dividing line between the spiritual and the temporal. None. Particularly in places of government. A brief review of the Nephite nation would show that their demise came about as a result of a refusal to recognize that correct principles of law are given to man by God through prophets; and that such a commitment is to be founded upon a spiritual foundation with the Gospel of Christ as the chief cornerstone. This is why, even in war, they chose as generals men who had the gift of prophecy and revelation knowing by experience that God would deliver them from their enemies insofar as they put their trust and faith in Him.
Ironically, the airy argument of today's 'whited sepulchres' who cry separation of Church and State in the name of freedom is not mentioned once in the Constitution; and there are far too many quotes from our Founders about God, morality, and the holy scriptures to suggest otherwise.
And of greatest solidity today are the scriptures themselves for they are a sure support on which "hang all the laws and the prophets." Without them, we are like a nation without borders or a home without walls, more easily influenced by the world and its false influences by which our first principles pass to opinion, our inalienable rights made provisional, and morality itself becoming relative. So exposed there can be little hope for rescue or protection when the last thing on a person's mind is meekness.
For reference, here's just a small sample of some of the radical views from our radical Founding Fathers on the role of Christianity in public and private life. (Be forewarned - discretion is advised as the following remarks may be too extreme and revolutionary as the new Army Training Manual on Religious Extremism so stupidly illustrated - including Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity on the same list as Al-Qaeda and Hamas):
"Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited....What a Eutopia - what a Paradise would this region be! (John Adams)
"The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Congress, 1854)
"[Governments] could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth." (John Dickinson)
"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Being a Christian...is a character which I prize far above all this world has or can boast." "The Bible...is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed." (Patrick Henry)
"[I]...am endeavoring...to attend to my own duty only as a Christian....let us take care that our Christianity, though put to the test...be not shaken, and that our love for things good wax not cold." (William Samuel Johnson)
"A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven." (James Madison)
"The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man." (Thomas Jefferson)
"Bibles are strong protections. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience." (James McHenry)
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations!" (Benjamin Rush)
"All the...evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." (Noah Webster)
"You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." (George Washington)
If you are still reading this then you have not been offended by the truth and possess enough sense still to call good good and evil evil. So many have it backwards, as Isaiah once pointed out when he said:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20)
Hard as they may try, the judges and political leaders of today could never reach the iconic stature of the above quoted founding fathers - ever. These men were giants in ways both intellectual and spiritual with the latter carrying more weight and influence in its effect on the mind of the former.
There is no amount of alteration, modification, or variation of God's commandments that could ever be permitted or surpassed by man as His laws are eternal and set. To suggest we can do better is to argue that a toothpick can do a better job of pounding a nail than a hammer.
As previously stated, the real problem in the world today is that people are not "thumping" their Bibles, or voicing their righteous passions, enough. Instead do they pound in rhythm to the cold and unfeeling sound of the arm of flesh whereby all things soon canker and rust rather than shine and gleam like Moses' face while atop Sinai. Such is the countenance of he who puts his trust in Virtue's arm - marching in step to the stirring sound of a trumpet that waxes louder and louder until we, like Moses, can speak and have God answer us "with a voice." (Exodus 19:19)
In a prosperous nation, both materially and spiritually, secular reform begins with spiritual reform - in that order. Far removed from this formula for success, the now disordered USofA, increasingly bereft of its spiritual moorings is paying over 16 trillion dollars for it and dooming the rising generation to a future of government control and poverty.
Furthermore, many self-proclaimed Christians and conservatives have not mastered their own beliefs which is why we continue to elect amoral people to positions of power. Many have a cerebral knowledge of God, freedom, and self-evident truth but fail to live up to Him [them] in word and deed. In short, they draw near to Him with their lips but their hearts are far from him. Hence, the issue of today is not so much an intellectual or political debate as it is a spiritual one; for without the latter we can never hope to judge righteously and discern between the good and bad much as Solomon did as king.
The prophet Alma himself concentrated on spiritual reform as the basis for social reform because "the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just - yeah, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them." (Alma 31:5)
In truth, man cannot prosper against God. Ever. Either he will be compelled to be brought low through sorrow and regret or else he will be a hedonist, acting on his passions and lusts rather than logic and truth.
The apostles of old did not fear men, only God. Said they to the pompous Jews who reprimanded them for not ceasing to speak in Jesus' name, "we ought to obey God rather than man."(Acts 5:29) Then, after being let go and commanded once more to not speak in the name of Jesus, they departed, only to teach and preach Jesus Christ - daily - in the temple and every house. (v. 40-42)
These were true disciples of Jesus who were not ashamed or frightened by the demands of men but by God Himself, in whom, through baptism, were placed under covenant to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death." (Mosiah 18:9)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie expounded upon this when he said:
"To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord's side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father."
To not be one with Christ is to be one with the devil. There is no room to stand on the line between good and evil - you either pledge yourself to one or the other. Like the stand at Concord Bridge in 1775, we can all imagine if the defenders of liberty preferred to jump rather than fight - replacing gunfire with the sound of water - "the splash heard round the world." Fortunately, the Minutemen were bound for something greater as they believed in something [and some One] greater than themselves and were willing to die for that divinely appointed purpose. Their objective was in reaching the other side, not in holding down the middle.
"Many men in this life, men of position, power, wealth and opportunity, are - merely drifting. They are not victors of their course but - victims of the current. They live but have no definite purpose in living. There is hardly any peril of the sea more dreaded by mariners than a - derelict. It carries no lights on bow or stern, no passengers, no rudder, no pilot, no crew. It is bound nowhere, carrying no cargo, to no port. Helpless in itself it is a menace to all others. Human derelicts are those ignored as hopeless by others, but they were first deserted by themselves. Lack of definite real purpose is the royal road to drifting, desertion, and derelict." (William George Jordan)
Truly, you can't beat something with nothing - especially if you are nothing. The only thing that can defeat a bad idea is a good idea and Christianity has the best ones. We have the scriptures laid before us. We have to fight something evil with something good and the only good counter-offensive is scripture. If we truly believe but then, like Peter did toward Jesus, deny such self-evident truths out of fear of reprisal, shame, or ridicule, then, like Ananias and Sapphira, who "kept back part of their price," or honor, we will "fall straightway" into the ninth circle - treachery and shame.
As true disciples of Jesus, we must put Him on as a profession and always "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you [we] have been called" in thought, word, and deed. (Ephesians 4:1)
As a counter-offensive, we need to bring the unbelieving, as the scriptures say, "hail for rain" when defending the truth since the rainbow can only appear after the storm and that peace from God Himself (Psalm 105:32) Thus, as the Prophet Joseph Smith solemnly declared:
"...it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation...that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven - these should then be attended to with great earnestness." (Doctrine and Covenants 123: 11,13-14)
Wickedness never was happiness and the prophets of old, like Alma, would not have renounced their positions of power and influence unless they felt it necessary to "waste and wear out their own lives" and reputations to call people unto repentance.
"Unity is power; and when I reflect on the importance of it to the stability of all governments, I am astounded at the silly moves of persons and parties to foment discord in order to ride into power on the current of popular excitement; nor am I less surprised at the stretches of power or restrictions of right which too often appear as acts of legislators to pave the way to some favorite political scheme as destitute of intrinsic merit as a wolf's heart is of the milk of human kindness. A Frenchman would say, 'Presque tout aimer richesses et pouvoir.' "(Almost all men like wealth and power.) -Joseph Smith
Once more, secular reform first begins with spiritual reform and the latter can only bring about the former when a majority of good people hold fast to their convictions instead of letting them go.
May we not, as the old adage declares, "die with our music still in us." But rather, to cheerfully "waste and wear out our lives" as Joseph Smith said in "making popular that which is sound and good and unpopular that which is unsound" - reclaiming the fallen not by force but by "bearing down in pure testimony against them." (Alma 4:19)
On this same note, C. S. Lewis once held a theory that there is no such thing today as a fair argument. He claimed that "there is no right or wrong anymore. Rather, in any disagreement, there is one side that is popular [Progressivism], and another side that is unpopular [Christianity]. The side that is unpopular has the burden of proof, and must argue with perfect clarity [citing scripture]. The side that is popular - whether it is right or wrong - is best served by arguing with platitudes and rhetorical tricks [the craftiness of man]. The only way they could possibly lose is actually have a fair argument, therefore a fair argument should be avoided at all costs." Surely, when handed God's word, all one can really do is tremble.
Note how the high priests could only pierce Jesus with nails while His words of truth [or knowledge of scripture] pierced their very core.
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for His word was with power." (Luke 4:32)
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
President Wilford Woodruff recalled the following words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The world is full of darkness. Sin and wickedness is overwhelming the world as the waters cover the great deep. The devil rules over the world in great measure. The world will war against you; the devil will, earth will, and hell will. But...you must preach the Gospel, do your duty, and the Lord will stand by you. Earth and hell shall not prevail against you."
Like the hymn, Hope of Israel, we have a war-cry, to "Watch and Pray" [and then to 'Speak' up and out] in the same way Jesus triumphantly overcame the temptations of Satan - each one with scripture and with the leading phrase, "It is written."
The Psalmist once wrote:
"Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?" (Psalms 94:3-4)
Fitting in response are the words of a faithful general, who, while serving Christianity and his own dear country facing final destruction, with forces reduced and his fortress burning - faithfully, immovably, and with a serene face turns to his knightly sons to exclaim:
"We, moreover, must fight not for any trivial reason
But for our beloved Christian homeland,
For our Lord, for our wives, for our children,
For our honor and our lives...
Since, because of the fire, we cannot stay here,
As soon as God allows us to see the dawning,
So, in all of our conversations, confrontations, and debates may we with great pride "thump our Bibles" in support of the many prophets and martyrs who gave their all for the sake of truth and honor and who, like Jesus, successfully resisted public opinion and temptation with the razing retort:
"It is written..."
Long live the fighters
Evidence for such growing apathy comes from all those who cry foul and offense at every mention of God and His holy commandments. As a result of this, there are more hate crimes, political corruption, family dissolution, and global unrest. Even more, a person may with greater readiness reference ten celebrities and their current relationship status than the Ten Commandments and his or her standing with the Lord.
To describe this dramatic downturn from God even further, the gospel of Matthew states, with reference to the unbeliever or denier, that "their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:15)
What a joy it is to have the scriptures laid before us for our profit and learning! Truly did the prophets see our day and know of our doings. To deny their words of warning is to deny gravity while falling. At the same time, ignoring prophetic caution is like going to search for seashells during a tsunami - futile, irresponsible, reckless. And the only souvenir to be uncovered after such an event will be the cold and listless corpse of a life that could have been.
"Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown." (Rev 3:11) In other words, don't ever let go of your convictions and renounce your core beliefs because the only thing left to feel when all else has been forsaken or compromised is the hard ground itself. Surely, the words of Christ can help us discern truth from error and delineate the appropriate counter-offensive to those who find fault with Him and His eternal laws.
It is interesting to note that in scripture God and truth are always associated with light while falsehood and evil depicted by darkness.
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." (1 John 1:5-6)
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)
The world is increasingly changing and moving down a path as steep and foreboding as Dante's descent through the nine circles of hell, appearing to linger at the 6th circle - heresy - in an act of calculated division and dissidence from God. Like the prophets of old, namely Ether and Mormon, I am left to observe and to mourn the flagrant and open rejection of God and His commandments in a world once again gone flat. One cannot turn on the news today without hearing some mention of God and his being legislated out of existence, as if eternity could have an end! Such vanity is as foolish as it is appalling. Only a people devoid of light and discernment could attempt such an indiscretion and then have the audacity to call the honest believer a "Bible thumper."
In a recent interview, Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, commented that those who "thump" their Bibles only do so to back up their position on a matter. He went on to say that an attempt to reference or cite the Bible on a policy matter is a "sure lose." Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The only sure defeat here is in how dry our nation's spiritual well has become - not by ignorance, but from silence. Without sufficient faith, the Liahona for our nation is ceasing to work, leaving us hapless victims of a current whose final end is the vertical drop of Niagara Falls - the boundary line between life and death.
Again, it is precisely because we choose not to call upon scripture in defense of truth and 'policy' that we have as many problems as we do. There ought to be no dividing line between the spiritual and the temporal. None. Particularly in places of government. A brief review of the Nephite nation would show that their demise came about as a result of a refusal to recognize that correct principles of law are given to man by God through prophets; and that such a commitment is to be founded upon a spiritual foundation with the Gospel of Christ as the chief cornerstone. This is why, even in war, they chose as generals men who had the gift of prophecy and revelation knowing by experience that God would deliver them from their enemies insofar as they put their trust and faith in Him.
Ironically, the airy argument of today's 'whited sepulchres' who cry separation of Church and State in the name of freedom is not mentioned once in the Constitution; and there are far too many quotes from our Founders about God, morality, and the holy scriptures to suggest otherwise.
And of greatest solidity today are the scriptures themselves for they are a sure support on which "hang all the laws and the prophets." Without them, we are like a nation without borders or a home without walls, more easily influenced by the world and its false influences by which our first principles pass to opinion, our inalienable rights made provisional, and morality itself becoming relative. So exposed there can be little hope for rescue or protection when the last thing on a person's mind is meekness.
For reference, here's just a small sample of some of the radical views from our radical Founding Fathers on the role of Christianity in public and private life. (Be forewarned - discretion is advised as the following remarks may be too extreme and revolutionary as the new Army Training Manual on Religious Extremism so stupidly illustrated - including Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity on the same list as Al-Qaeda and Hamas):
"Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited....What a Eutopia - what a Paradise would this region be! (John Adams)
"The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Congress, 1854)
"[Governments] could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth." (John Dickinson)
"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Being a Christian...is a character which I prize far above all this world has or can boast." "The Bible...is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed." (Patrick Henry)
"[I]...am endeavoring...to attend to my own duty only as a Christian....let us take care that our Christianity, though put to the test...be not shaken, and that our love for things good wax not cold." (William Samuel Johnson)
"A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven." (James Madison)
"The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man." (Thomas Jefferson)
"Bibles are strong protections. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience." (James McHenry)
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations!" (Benjamin Rush)
"All the...evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." (Noah Webster)
"You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." (George Washington)
If you are still reading this then you have not been offended by the truth and possess enough sense still to call good good and evil evil. So many have it backwards, as Isaiah once pointed out when he said:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20)
Hard as they may try, the judges and political leaders of today could never reach the iconic stature of the above quoted founding fathers - ever. These men were giants in ways both intellectual and spiritual with the latter carrying more weight and influence in its effect on the mind of the former.
There is no amount of alteration, modification, or variation of God's commandments that could ever be permitted or surpassed by man as His laws are eternal and set. To suggest we can do better is to argue that a toothpick can do a better job of pounding a nail than a hammer.
As previously stated, the real problem in the world today is that people are not "thumping" their Bibles, or voicing their righteous passions, enough. Instead do they pound in rhythm to the cold and unfeeling sound of the arm of flesh whereby all things soon canker and rust rather than shine and gleam like Moses' face while atop Sinai. Such is the countenance of he who puts his trust in Virtue's arm - marching in step to the stirring sound of a trumpet that waxes louder and louder until we, like Moses, can speak and have God answer us "with a voice." (Exodus 19:19)
In a prosperous nation, both materially and spiritually, secular reform begins with spiritual reform - in that order. Far removed from this formula for success, the now disordered USofA, increasingly bereft of its spiritual moorings is paying over 16 trillion dollars for it and dooming the rising generation to a future of government control and poverty.
Furthermore, many self-proclaimed Christians and conservatives have not mastered their own beliefs which is why we continue to elect amoral people to positions of power. Many have a cerebral knowledge of God, freedom, and self-evident truth but fail to live up to Him [them] in word and deed. In short, they draw near to Him with their lips but their hearts are far from him. Hence, the issue of today is not so much an intellectual or political debate as it is a spiritual one; for without the latter we can never hope to judge righteously and discern between the good and bad much as Solomon did as king.
The prophet Alma himself concentrated on spiritual reform as the basis for social reform because "the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just - yeah, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them." (Alma 31:5)
"When personal righteousness and example were not sufficient to stem the tide of moral deterioration, two judges, both also prophets, resigned the judgment seat and spent the remainder of their lives preaching the gospel. Both did so under conditions of great spiritual apostasy and economic and political breakdown, when personal pride and spiritual corruption had combined to lead the people to choose iniquity." (James R. Moss, Six Nephite Judges: A Study in Integrity, Ensign, Sept. 1977)
It begs the thought then that in times of spiritual and moral famine just how many of today's politicians would gladly give up their "uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues" in favor of preaching God's word - and for the rest of their lives! (Matthew 23:6)
As a people, when wickedness, greed, and control become the goals, all is lost. We then become a nation of 'saws' and 'rods' shaking before the very One who wields us and gives us purpose. (2 Nephi 20:15)In truth, man cannot prosper against God. Ever. Either he will be compelled to be brought low through sorrow and regret or else he will be a hedonist, acting on his passions and lusts rather than logic and truth.
The apostles of old did not fear men, only God. Said they to the pompous Jews who reprimanded them for not ceasing to speak in Jesus' name, "we ought to obey God rather than man."(Acts 5:29) Then, after being let go and commanded once more to not speak in the name of Jesus, they departed, only to teach and preach Jesus Christ - daily - in the temple and every house. (v. 40-42)
These were true disciples of Jesus who were not ashamed or frightened by the demands of men but by God Himself, in whom, through baptism, were placed under covenant to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death." (Mosiah 18:9)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie expounded upon this when he said:
"To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord's side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father."
To not be one with Christ is to be one with the devil. There is no room to stand on the line between good and evil - you either pledge yourself to one or the other. Like the stand at Concord Bridge in 1775, we can all imagine if the defenders of liberty preferred to jump rather than fight - replacing gunfire with the sound of water - "the splash heard round the world." Fortunately, the Minutemen were bound for something greater as they believed in something [and some One] greater than themselves and were willing to die for that divinely appointed purpose. Their objective was in reaching the other side, not in holding down the middle.
"Many men in this life, men of position, power, wealth and opportunity, are - merely drifting. They are not victors of their course but - victims of the current. They live but have no definite purpose in living. There is hardly any peril of the sea more dreaded by mariners than a - derelict. It carries no lights on bow or stern, no passengers, no rudder, no pilot, no crew. It is bound nowhere, carrying no cargo, to no port. Helpless in itself it is a menace to all others. Human derelicts are those ignored as hopeless by others, but they were first deserted by themselves. Lack of definite real purpose is the royal road to drifting, desertion, and derelict." (William George Jordan)
Truly, you can't beat something with nothing - especially if you are nothing. The only thing that can defeat a bad idea is a good idea and Christianity has the best ones. We have the scriptures laid before us. We have to fight something evil with something good and the only good counter-offensive is scripture. If we truly believe but then, like Peter did toward Jesus, deny such self-evident truths out of fear of reprisal, shame, or ridicule, then, like Ananias and Sapphira, who "kept back part of their price," or honor, we will "fall straightway" into the ninth circle - treachery and shame.
Someone has said, "If a soldier or marine runs away, send him his wages, with this instruction, that his country will never trust him again; he has forfeited his honor."
As a counter-offensive, we need to bring the unbelieving, as the scriptures say, "hail for rain" when defending the truth since the rainbow can only appear after the storm and that peace from God Himself (Psalm 105:32) Thus, as the Prophet Joseph Smith solemnly declared:
"...it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation...that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven - these should then be attended to with great earnestness." (Doctrine and Covenants 123: 11,13-14)
Wickedness never was happiness and the prophets of old, like Alma, would not have renounced their positions of power and influence unless they felt it necessary to "waste and wear out their own lives" and reputations to call people unto repentance.
"Unity is power; and when I reflect on the importance of it to the stability of all governments, I am astounded at the silly moves of persons and parties to foment discord in order to ride into power on the current of popular excitement; nor am I less surprised at the stretches of power or restrictions of right which too often appear as acts of legislators to pave the way to some favorite political scheme as destitute of intrinsic merit as a wolf's heart is of the milk of human kindness. A Frenchman would say, 'Presque tout aimer richesses et pouvoir.' "(Almost all men like wealth and power.) -Joseph Smith
Once more, secular reform first begins with spiritual reform and the latter can only bring about the former when a majority of good people hold fast to their convictions instead of letting them go.
May we not, as the old adage declares, "die with our music still in us." But rather, to cheerfully "waste and wear out our lives" as Joseph Smith said in "making popular that which is sound and good and unpopular that which is unsound" - reclaiming the fallen not by force but by "bearing down in pure testimony against them." (Alma 4:19)
On this same note, C. S. Lewis once held a theory that there is no such thing today as a fair argument. He claimed that "there is no right or wrong anymore. Rather, in any disagreement, there is one side that is popular [Progressivism], and another side that is unpopular [Christianity]. The side that is unpopular has the burden of proof, and must argue with perfect clarity [citing scripture]. The side that is popular - whether it is right or wrong - is best served by arguing with platitudes and rhetorical tricks [the craftiness of man]. The only way they could possibly lose is actually have a fair argument, therefore a fair argument should be avoided at all costs." Surely, when handed God's word, all one can really do is tremble.
Note how the high priests could only pierce Jesus with nails while His words of truth [or knowledge of scripture] pierced their very core.
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for His word was with power." (Luke 4:32)
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
President Wilford Woodruff recalled the following words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The world is full of darkness. Sin and wickedness is overwhelming the world as the waters cover the great deep. The devil rules over the world in great measure. The world will war against you; the devil will, earth will, and hell will. But...you must preach the Gospel, do your duty, and the Lord will stand by you. Earth and hell shall not prevail against you."
Like the hymn, Hope of Israel, we have a war-cry, to "Watch and Pray" [and then to 'Speak' up and out] in the same way Jesus triumphantly overcame the temptations of Satan - each one with scripture and with the leading phrase, "It is written."
We must bid Babylon farewell but not keep our backs turned against it for the devil is a dirty and desperate fighter and loves hearing nothing more than the exclamation: "All is well." Eternal vigilance is our mandate and to lie down and sleep while on duty only advances his wicked purposes.
We are the Militia Christi, suppressors of the insurgents of God, and ought to look, sound, and act like it, "at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death." (Mosiah 18:9)
The Psalmist once wrote:
"Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?" (Psalms 94:3-4)
Fitting in response are the words of a faithful general, who, while serving Christianity and his own dear country facing final destruction, with forces reduced and his fortress burning - faithfully, immovably, and with a serene face turns to his knightly sons to exclaim:
"We, moreover, must fight not for any trivial reason
But for our beloved Christian homeland,
For our Lord, for our wives, for our children,
For our honor and our lives...
Since, because of the fire, we cannot stay here,
As soon as God allows us to see the dawning,
We will go out of the castle, and will there show
That those whom we were in life, we are the same now."
(Miklos Zrinyi, Battle of Szigetvar)
So, in all of our conversations, confrontations, and debates may we with great pride "thump our Bibles" in support of the many prophets and martyrs who gave their all for the sake of truth and honor and who, like Jesus, successfully resisted public opinion and temptation with the razing retort:
"It is written..."
Long live the fighters
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A Sound and Nothing Else
Shakespeare once described the period of adolescence as “my salad days, when I was green with judgment, cold in blood....” And unquestionably, does their exist a very large portion of today’s youth who invariably appear to be as 'green' and 'cold' in their manner of living as the great poet and playwright so fittingly described.
As I’ve observed the youth of today, both personally and professionally, I cannot help but think of the failure of so many sideline parents who have elected to play the passive spectator role in full view of a self-destructing child, beholding their fate as if they were an observer during an event in the ancient Coliseum. Such gross judgment deserves no respect and offers no reward. For in life's trials, without a grounding force to keep one stable, a child soon becomes prey to the wind, like a feather blown in any direction until it is too far removed from its original source.
As parents, hard times direct us to act with dignity and bravery upon the scaffolds of life so that when our own proving time comes we may stand fast, clear in our minds and pure in our hearts as certified children of Christ. But does it stop with us? No. We must show our children whose name we bear in the very words we use and actions we take. Certainly, the Christ-centered life is sufficient and gives both balance and security to the faithful heart - as Peter first learned when he began to walk upon the water.
Perhaps there are times when we ourselves need to leave the proverbial 'boat' in view of a signaling Savior to show our own suspecting crew [or family] that a proper faith in God, when duly acted upon, is to wield true power. And even though Peter himself began to sink after several steps, as the record follows, the Savior "reached forth his hand and caught him...and when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." (Matthew 14:32) In other words, after a moment of doubt, Peter regained his composure, and could then, with greater balance, walk back with Jesus into the boat. Without such faith, or may we say positive 'weight,' he would have surely sunk again.
As I’ve observed the youth of today, both personally and professionally, I cannot help but think of the failure of so many sideline parents who have elected to play the passive spectator role in full view of a self-destructing child, beholding their fate as if they were an observer during an event in the ancient Coliseum. Such gross judgment deserves no respect and offers no reward. For in life's trials, without a grounding force to keep one stable, a child soon becomes prey to the wind, like a feather blown in any direction until it is too far removed from its original source.
As parents, hard times direct us to act with dignity and bravery upon the scaffolds of life so that when our own proving time comes we may stand fast, clear in our minds and pure in our hearts as certified children of Christ. But does it stop with us? No. We must show our children whose name we bear in the very words we use and actions we take. Certainly, the Christ-centered life is sufficient and gives both balance and security to the faithful heart - as Peter first learned when he began to walk upon the water.
Perhaps there are times when we ourselves need to leave the proverbial 'boat' in view of a signaling Savior to show our own suspecting crew [or family] that a proper faith in God, when duly acted upon, is to wield true power. And even though Peter himself began to sink after several steps, as the record follows, the Savior "reached forth his hand and caught him...and when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." (Matthew 14:32) In other words, after a moment of doubt, Peter regained his composure, and could then, with greater balance, walk back with Jesus into the boat. Without such faith, or may we say positive 'weight,' he would have surely sunk again.
Similarly, in 1628, the Swedish battleship, Vasa, foundered almost immediately after leaving the Stockholm harbor as it encountered “a wind stronger than a breeze.” Because of its insufficient ballast, it could not withstand the wind and waves. Yet, notwithstanding its glorified greatness, it went down without any resistance. Such a gross error in judgment by king [or parent] will invariably lead to disaster whether in the national or family arena.
So, as caregivers, we must ask ourselves - what really matters most? Character or reputation? We would do well to build up the former as the latter is but a plastic bag, impossible to stand on its own and subject to even the lightest wind or temptation. Or, are we as foolish as the Swedish king who lacked the courage to remedy the problem of weight with the Vasa in the same way many parents forego courageous instruction out of fear of reprisal? It is therefore absolutely critical that we instruct tomorrow’s leaders to cherish their very lives and freedoms so much so that a call to compromise them is as commandingly dismissed.
So, as caregivers, we must ask ourselves - what really matters most? Character or reputation? We would do well to build up the former as the latter is but a plastic bag, impossible to stand on its own and subject to even the lightest wind or temptation. Or, are we as foolish as the Swedish king who lacked the courage to remedy the problem of weight with the Vasa in the same way many parents forego courageous instruction out of fear of reprisal? It is therefore absolutely critical that we instruct tomorrow’s leaders to cherish their very lives and freedoms so much so that a call to compromise them is as commandingly dismissed.
The prophet Harold B. Lee has said:
The famed science-fiction author, Frank Herbert, aware of the dangers of advanced technology once coined the term: "techno-peasantry" or as I like to call it, "techno-servitude." Such a descriptor needs no further explanation as it is a well known fact that the youth of today are slavishly committed to their mobile devices, forsaking all social graces and skill in favor of hand-held idols.
Similarly, the undifferentiated ego mass known as Occupy Wall Street, or the progressive left, are anything but 'weighty' as they outrightly refuse to fulfill and self-actualize - finding meaning through consensus rather than their own individual accord. Such ilk lounge as lizards, heartless fanatics who care more for the benefits of life than the burdens needed to qualify for them. Subjects such as these are as useless as they are untaught and signify once again the consequence of irresponsible parenting.
James Truslow Adams, the American historian, spoke truth to this same point when he said:
"Perhaps it would be a good idea, fantastic as it sounds, to muffle every telephone [iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.], halt every motor and stop all activity some day to give people a chance to ponder for a few minutes on what it [life] is all about, why they are living and what they really want."
We need to continually examine ourselves - cleansing our inward vessels first with fuller’s soap in an effort to look more refined and polished as men and women of virtue, courage, and honor - righteous examples to the young. For what a youth is today depends largely upon what he learned and saw as a child, and those same observed lessons, if not rightly and consistently demonstrated, become the deeds of tomorrow.
To illustrate this concept further, permit me to highlight the lives of a few ‘mighty [young] metals’ who, at various points in history, chose to stand and die for the truth rather than live to the side of it.
"Beautiful, luscious fruit [children] does not grow unless the roots of the parent tree have been planted in rich, fertile soil and except where due care is given to proper pruning, cultivation, and irrigation. So likewise the luscious fruits of virtue and chastity, honesty, temperance, integrity and fidelity are not to be found growing in that individual whose life is not founded on a firm testimony of the truths of the gospel and of the life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ."
It is rather difficult for a gloomy parent to raise a child of light - especially when their own denial of the truth has left them separate and cold in a dungeon of darkness and despair. And like a scabbard devoid of its sword, so is the rising generation seemingly more hollowed out and empty, steady only in their descent toward tomorrow's ruin. Regrettably have many of today's youth refused their forefathers' blade(s) of "virtue and chastity, honesty, temperance, integrity and fidelity" - deeming it [them] as dross, to rust and canker on the wayside.
It is rather difficult for a gloomy parent to raise a child of light - especially when their own denial of the truth has left them separate and cold in a dungeon of darkness and despair. And like a scabbard devoid of its sword, so is the rising generation seemingly more hollowed out and empty, steady only in their descent toward tomorrow's ruin. Regrettably have many of today's youth refused their forefathers' blade(s) of "virtue and chastity, honesty, temperance, integrity and fidelity" - deeming it [them] as dross, to rust and canker on the wayside.
The famed science-fiction author, Frank Herbert, aware of the dangers of advanced technology once coined the term: "techno-peasantry" or as I like to call it, "techno-servitude." Such a descriptor needs no further explanation as it is a well known fact that the youth of today are slavishly committed to their mobile devices, forsaking all social graces and skill in favor of hand-held idols.
Similarly, the undifferentiated ego mass known as Occupy Wall Street, or the progressive left, are anything but 'weighty' as they outrightly refuse to fulfill and self-actualize - finding meaning through consensus rather than their own individual accord. Such ilk lounge as lizards, heartless fanatics who care more for the benefits of life than the burdens needed to qualify for them. Subjects such as these are as useless as they are untaught and signify once again the consequence of irresponsible parenting.
James Truslow Adams, the American historian, spoke truth to this same point when he said:
"Perhaps it would be a good idea, fantastic as it sounds, to muffle every telephone [iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.], halt every motor and stop all activity some day to give people a chance to ponder for a few minutes on what it [life] is all about, why they are living and what they really want."
We need to continually examine ourselves - cleansing our inward vessels first with fuller’s soap in an effort to look more refined and polished as men and women of virtue, courage, and honor - righteous examples to the young. For what a youth is today depends largely upon what he learned and saw as a child, and those same observed lessons, if not rightly and consistently demonstrated, become the deeds of tomorrow.
To illustrate this concept further, permit me to highlight the lives of a few ‘mighty [young] metals’ who, at various points in history, chose to stand and die for the truth rather than live to the side of it.
First, consider the stripling David, who, when “but a youth…and ruddy, and of a fair countenance,” stood secure in his convictions before the mighty Goliath then took his head. Reflect upon Captain Moroni, "a man of a perfect understanding," who was appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites at just twenty five years of age to preserve and finally secure his people's freedom in the same way Joseph of Egypt was appointed second-in-command to Pharaoh at the age of 30 for his integrity and sound knowledge.
Similarly, and contemporaneous with the same Captain Moroni, were 2,000 stripling warriors who "did not doubt", knowing with a perfect faith that "God would deliver them" insofar as they heeded His counsel and that of their mothers. As well was there the warrior-prophet Mormon, who, at just barely fifteen years of age was in his day appointed leader and general of an entire army because of his sober and observant mind.
It should be noted that many of these men rose to their respective positions not during peacetime, but in war, amidst chaos and ruin. And even then, their high regard and esteem came more by virtue of who they were than for what they did.
The poet has said:
Similarly, and contemporaneous with the same Captain Moroni, were 2,000 stripling warriors who "did not doubt", knowing with a perfect faith that "God would deliver them" insofar as they heeded His counsel and that of their mothers. As well was there the warrior-prophet Mormon, who, at just barely fifteen years of age was in his day appointed leader and general of an entire army because of his sober and observant mind.
It should be noted that many of these men rose to their respective positions not during peacetime, but in war, amidst chaos and ruin. And even then, their high regard and esteem came more by virtue of who they were than for what they did.
The poet has said:
“Good timber does not grow in ease,
The stronger the wind, the tougher the trees;
The farther the sky, the greater the length;
The more the storm, the more the strength
By sun and cold, by rains and snows,
In tree or man good timber grows.”
But the Savior Himself gave wise caution to those desiring to advance a cause:
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)
Thomas Paine also once said, "These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." (The American Crisis)
I shudder to think of the fate of General Washington and his expiring band of Continental soldiers [not to mention our nation as a whole] if he had chosen to stand back and not cross the Delaware River on that severe Christmas day of 1776 where, according to one report on the inclement weather, "it blew like a hurricane." Though, it should come as no surprise that Washington himself was one of the first to cross as befits a man of sound faith and principle in the face of great odds. Remember that it is the pursuit of easy things that makes men weak. A smooth sea can never make a skillful mariner in the same way the Savior could not have become our great Intercessor without Golgotha.
I shudder to think of the fate of General Washington and his expiring band of Continental soldiers [not to mention our nation as a whole] if he had chosen to stand back and not cross the Delaware River on that severe Christmas day of 1776 where, according to one report on the inclement weather, "it blew like a hurricane." Though, it should come as no surprise that Washington himself was one of the first to cross as befits a man of sound faith and principle in the face of great odds. Remember that it is the pursuit of easy things that makes men weak. A smooth sea can never make a skillful mariner in the same way the Savior could not have become our great Intercessor without Golgotha.
Well could it be said of the valiant that they, as Dr. Wayne Dyer once commented in his classic work, Your Erroneus Zones, lived in such a way as to "make a decision to live five minutes at a time." In other words, to not waste the days of our probation on things that matter not or carry no weight. He also highly recommended putting to thought the question, "how long are you going to be dead?" emphasizing once more that every second counts in this life since we only have one.
To be sure, this life is our only chance to prove ourselves and ought to be, as the ancient Samurai described, "as toilsome as possible." It is one of our foremost duties then to ensure that the "toil" we choose to do is good so that we, with our principles, will wear out rather than rust out.
Those who can outlast the pressures and mockeries of the world are like, "men who can stand a siege, who can take long forced marches without a murmur, who set their teeth and bow their heads as they fight their way through the smoke, who smile at the trials and privations that dare daunt them. They care naught for the hardships and perils of the fight, for they are ever inspired by the flag of triumph that seems already waving on the citadel of their hopes.” (William George Jordan)
He then continues speaking about the path of the honest crusader:
“When Nature decides on any man as a reformer she whispers to him his great message, she places in his hand the staff of courage, she wraps around him the robes of patience and self-reliance and starts him on his way. Then, in order that he may have strength to live through it all, she mercifully calls him back for a moment and makes him – an optimist.”
Truly, the way of the reformer is a lonely one. They must live from within - feeding their ideals and principles rather than doubts. Should a soldier leading the forlorn hope complain that the army is not abreast of him? The “busy world cares little for his struggles, it cares only to joy in his final triumph; it will shares his feasts but not his fasts. Christ was alone in Gethsemane, but – at the sermon in the wilderness, where food was provided, the attendance was four thousand.”
But numbers do not count for the true crusader as he cares more about doing what is right than on the ranks that may, or may not be, behind him. On one occasion, the "Maid" of France, Joan of Arc, told one of her generals, “I will lead the men over the wall.” The general replied, “Not a man will follow you.” Joan then said, “I will not look back to see whether anyone is following or not.” Imagine if more people possessed this same forward determination to succeed without looking back to see who is watching.
“When Nature decides on any man as a reformer she whispers to him his great message, she places in his hand the staff of courage, she wraps around him the robes of patience and self-reliance and starts him on his way. Then, in order that he may have strength to live through it all, she mercifully calls him back for a moment and makes him – an optimist.”
Truly, the way of the reformer is a lonely one. They must live from within - feeding their ideals and principles rather than doubts. Should a soldier leading the forlorn hope complain that the army is not abreast of him? The “busy world cares little for his struggles, it cares only to joy in his final triumph; it will shares his feasts but not his fasts. Christ was alone in Gethsemane, but – at the sermon in the wilderness, where food was provided, the attendance was four thousand.”
But numbers do not count for the true crusader as he cares more about doing what is right than on the ranks that may, or may not be, behind him. On one occasion, the "Maid" of France, Joan of Arc, told one of her generals, “I will lead the men over the wall.” The general replied, “Not a man will follow you.” Joan then said, “I will not look back to see whether anyone is following or not.” Imagine if more people possessed this same forward determination to succeed without looking back to see who is watching.
“If you are seeking to accomplish any great serious purpose that your mind and your heart tell you is right, you must have the spirit of the reformer. You must have the courage to face trial, sorrow and disappointment, to meet them squarely and to move forward unscathed and undaunted. In the sublimity of your perfect faith in the outcome, you can make them as powerless to harm you, as a dewdrop falling on the Pyramids. When things look darkest, grasp your weapon firmer and fight harder. And when it is all over and victory is yours, and the smoke clears away and the smell of the powder is dissipated, and you bury the friendships that died because they could not stand the strain, and you nurse back the wounded and faint-hearted who loyally stood by you, even when doubting, then the hard years of fighting will seem but a dream. You will stand brave, heartened, strengthened by the struggle, re-created to a new, better and stronger life by a noble battle, nobly waged, in a noble cause. And the price will then seem to you – nothing.” (William George Jordan)
Vessels such as these keep the world in poise and give it, unlike the insufficient Vasa, sufficient weight.
Vessels such as these keep the world in poise and give it, unlike the insufficient Vasa, sufficient weight.
The patriot and founding father, John Dickinson, reported in his famous 'Letter from a Farmer' that, “The cause of liberty is a cause of too much dignity to be sullied by turbulence and tumult. It ought to be maintained in a manner suitable to her nature. Those who engage in it, should breathe a sedate, yet fervent spirit, animating them to actions of prudence, justice, modesty, bravery, humanity and magnanimity. To such a wonderful degree were the ancient Spartans, as brave and free a people as ever existed, inspired by the happy temperature of soul, that rejecting even in their battles the use of trumpets, and other instruments for exciting heat and rage, they marched up to scenes of havoc, and horror, with the sound of flutes, to the tunes of which their steps kept pace – “exhibiting,” as Plutarch says, “at once a terrible and delightful sight, and proceeding with a deliberate valor, full of hope and good assurance, as if some divinity had sensibly assisted them.”
It was once said of the freedom fighter Joan of Arc: "Never have been seen such things as you have been seen to do; in no book are to be read of deeds like them.” She was then asked if she was in a state of grace. She answered: “If I am, may God keep me in it; if I am not, may God bring me to it, for I would rather die than not be in the love of God.” “This Maid,” he continues, “has a certain elegance. She has a virile bearing, speaks little, shows an admirable prudence in all her words. She has a pretty, woman’s voice, eats little, drinks very little wine; she enjoys riding a horse and takes pleasure in fine arms, greatly likes the company of noble fighting men, detests numerous assemblies and meetings, readily sheds copious tears, has a cheerful face; she bears the weight and burden of armour incredibly well, to such a point that she has remained fully armed during six days and nights.”
On another occasion, she was asked to renounce her errors and scandals at which time she solemnly declared: “The way that I have always spoken and held to in this trial, that will I still maintain. And if I was brought to judgment and saw the fire lit and faggots ready, and the executioner ready to stoke the fire and that I be within the fire, yet should I not say otherwise and should maintain what I have said in the trial even unto death. I would rather die than remain in irons.” And so was she taken and bound, still continuing praises and lamentations to God and the saints, and whose last word, in departing this life, cried in a loud voice: ‘Jesus’. (Jean Massieu, witness to her execution)
Like the prophet-missionary Abinadi of old, Joan of Arc would not compromise her beliefs even under the threat of death.
“Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands. Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall stand as a testimony against you at the last day.” (Mosiah 17:9-10)
Like the prophet-missionary Abinadi of old, Joan of Arc would not compromise her beliefs even under the threat of death.
“Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands. Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall stand as a testimony against you at the last day.” (Mosiah 17:9-10)
Conviction like this knows no weakness. Such truthbearers cannot be broken. They cannot be shaken because of the faith they possess to do the will of God. Someone has said, "He who carries the lamp will not despair no matter how dark the night. That lamp I call faith." Or, as William Jennings Bryan declared of the early Christians, “They were greater conquerors in their death than they could have been had they purchased life by a surrender of their faith.” Joan's testimony was ironclad in the same way a young German boy, by the name of Helmuth Hubener, sealed his own convictions with his blood.
Helmuth was a Mormon teenager who daringly and bravely took on the Third Reich in the midst of World War II. Think on that for a moment. A teen taking on the Third Reich! He published many leaflets that ran contrary to Nazi propaganda. In his writings he recorded: “Hitler and his accomplices know they must deprive you of your free will at the beginning in order to make submissive, spineless creatures of you. Therefore we are calling out to you: Do not let your free will, the most valuable thing you possess, to be taken away. Do not let yourselves be suppressed and tyrannized by your leaders – highhanded kings in miniature….”
He went on to describe the brotherhood he felt with his closest compatriots, friends he took an oath with taken from the play William Tell: “We want to be a brotherhood united, to never part, despite danger or want. We want to be free, as our fathers were – and rather have death than to live in slavery. We put our test in the Almighty God and are not afraid of the tyranny of man.”
Later, after his capture, when he stood shackled in Nazi Germany's infamous court, the Volksgerichtshof or 'People's Court,' a collective entity swooned easily by the prosecution, Helmuth was asked why he did what he did. His reply was simple but of greater force than is expected for a youth. He replied very simply, “I wanted others to know the truth.”
The record then follows:
He went on to describe the brotherhood he felt with his closest compatriots, friends he took an oath with taken from the play William Tell: “We want to be a brotherhood united, to never part, despite danger or want. We want to be free, as our fathers were – and rather have death than to live in slavery. We put our test in the Almighty God and are not afraid of the tyranny of man.”
Later, after his capture, when he stood shackled in Nazi Germany's infamous court, the Volksgerichtshof or 'People's Court,' a collective entity swooned easily by the prosecution, Helmuth was asked why he did what he did. His reply was simple but of greater force than is expected for a youth. He replied very simply, “I wanted others to know the truth.”
The record then follows:
The prosecution then glared at him. “Are you suggesting we are lying?”
Helmuth ripped back with contempt by using the familiar form of 'you,' “Jawohl, Ihr lugt,” or, "Yes, YOU!"
As described by one of his friends, he had: “...a lot of courage. He stood there like a man ten feet tall, steady. He was not intimidated whatsoever, and he stood his ground. And always he tried to focus the attention on himself, …trying to take away the limelight from us, not to be important, but to shield us, to protect us.”
His suffering only confirmed his beliefs and strengthened his resolve to oppose the Nazi system to the very end. He stood before the judges, who sat on their high bench in their famous blood-red robes and told them, “Wait. Your turn will come.”
The judges even considered him advanced for his years. “Ironically, so anxious were the Nazis to indict him, that they established his credibility, his intelligence, maturity, political savvy, writing acumen, persuasive personality, his “ability to make judgments,” and even his brilliance. He was the very type of creature they were most afraid of – and they had to build him up in order to destroy him, which is one of the greatest of all ironies in his story.” Helmuth possessed such a steely resolve that the threat of his own demise never once wavered his high faith in God and in the scripture: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
In a letter to his family while in prison he wrote:
“I am very thankful to my Heavenly Father that this agonizing life is coming to an end this evening. I could not stand it any longer anyway! My Father in Heaven knows that I have done nothing wrong. I know that God lives and He will be the proper judge of this matter. Until our happy reunion in that better world, I remain your friend and brother in the Gospel, Helmuth.
He was beheaded at 8:15pm that evening. He was seventeen years old. Fast forward to today and I cannot imagine any seventeen year olds gladly risking their lives for a cause so noble as to stand before a body of men and recuse themselves of wicked practice. Pathetically, one may invoke a more impassioned reaction in today's youth when taking away their phone than in defense of a principle or belief.
So how can we assure that today's youth will be ready for tomorrow's trials? The formula is clear: Rely on the Lord, be courageous, loyal, and unshakeable in the defense of what is right and true. We must be structurally sound and balanced as the once esteemed ship, the Vasa, should have been – strengthened at its base by the influence of goodness and moral excellence.
In truth, we become what we do and likewise ought to die as we have lived as it is an honor to live for a noble cause, firm in the belief that our life was not spent in squalor but with character, stirred by the spirit of valor in defiance of everything that is base and wrong. However, if we choose to do nothing and remain frozen with doubt and fear, then by default we are “as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.” (Alma 34:29) Or, to put it more simply, if we know the truth and do not act valiantly in its defense, our life then becomes nothing more than a cautionary tale, a tragedy – a lie.
In truth, we become what we do and likewise ought to die as we have lived as it is an honor to live for a noble cause, firm in the belief that our life was not spent in squalor but with character, stirred by the spirit of valor in defiance of everything that is base and wrong. However, if we choose to do nothing and remain frozen with doubt and fear, then by default we are “as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.” (Alma 34:29) Or, to put it more simply, if we know the truth and do not act valiantly in its defense, our life then becomes nothing more than a cautionary tale, a tragedy – a lie.
“Only the man of faith can be courageous. Confident that he fights on the side of Jehovah, he doubts not the success of his cause. What matters it whether he shares in the shouts of triumph? If every word spoken in behalf of truth has its influence and every deed done for the right weighs in the final account, it is immaterial to the Christian whether his eyes behold victory or whether he dies in the midst of the conflict. Only those who believe attempt the seemingly impossible, and, by attempting, prove that one, with God, can chase a thousand and that two can put ten thousand to flight.” (William Jennings Bryan)
Sterling W. Sill added:
“We need a little more of this heaven-sent iron running up and down our backbones, and we also need a little strength in our wills and in our muscles.” He then continues, “A great admiral once said that he would rather have iron men in wooden boats than wooden men in iron boats.” Surely, a body of freedom fighters covered in iron is more formidable than a body of men protected by linen.
And in today’s world, it is hard to find such "mighty metals” among us though they do exist - perhaps even within the walls of our own home and quite possibly in our own forgotten images. Thus, it would behoove us as parents, friends, neighbors, and citizens to help those around us, particularly our spouses and children, to see the shine in their own reflection and then to act [with them] by "going forth among the people," like the great Captain Moroni, waving the standard of liberty until all are come "running together and with their armor girded about their loins." (Alma 46:21)
So, we must ever ask ourselves: Are we worthy of the same merited respect as those who have gone before us? Or more pointedly, are we living honorably for those who will go on after us? If not, may we then proudly “put on,” as my own fourth great grandfather, Charlie Seaman did, “Christ by profession,” and then stand - boldly and nobly, secure and stable in our principles.
But even then, despite our best efforts, there will yet remain, as Emerson once described, "parlor soldiers," who "shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born." Such persons deserve our pity more than ire as they have forsaken their honor for ease, morals for pleasure, reputation over character.
And in today’s world, it is hard to find such "mighty metals” among us though they do exist - perhaps even within the walls of our own home and quite possibly in our own forgotten images. Thus, it would behoove us as parents, friends, neighbors, and citizens to help those around us, particularly our spouses and children, to see the shine in their own reflection and then to act [with them] by "going forth among the people," like the great Captain Moroni, waving the standard of liberty until all are come "running together and with their armor girded about their loins." (Alma 46:21)
So, we must ever ask ourselves: Are we worthy of the same merited respect as those who have gone before us? Or more pointedly, are we living honorably for those who will go on after us? If not, may we then proudly “put on,” as my own fourth great grandfather, Charlie Seaman did, “Christ by profession,” and then stand - boldly and nobly, secure and stable in our principles.
But even then, despite our best efforts, there will yet remain, as Emerson once described, "parlor soldiers," who "shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born." Such persons deserve our pity more than ire as they have forsaken their honor for ease, morals for pleasure, reputation over character.
And after all these truths have been made known, if our objective remains the same - to lie down, unmoving and flat, like a shadow - then our lives [and surely those of our children] will inevitably go down like the Vasa, as an unwise and empty vessel deprived of its weight; forgotten by men and then left by God to be a thing of naught – as just a sound and nothing else.
Long live the fighters
The Modern Christ
Long live the fighters
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