Believe Steve

Monday Mormon: Julie T.

2012-02-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to this week's installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by my friend Julie. She was born the youngest of nine children, and grew up on a potato farm. As a result of this upbringing, she says she "still love[s] the smell of freshly plowed dirt." She attended BYU-Idaho, and received her Bachelor's degree in History. I first met her when she worked for the Church at the main Church Office Building in Salt Lake City as an intellectual property paralegal. Just recently she retired from that profession, and moved to AZ because "that's what retired people do." She is currently pursuing her teaching certificate (social studies, secondary education) and Master's in education. In her free time, she loves to travel, play volleyball, read, and take naps.

Name: Julie Taylor
City of residence: Gilbert, AZ
Occupation: Student
How long have you been a Mormon? Baptized at 8...20 solid years.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, United States of America.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? That Joseph Smith saw his vision from a salamander.
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? Being a missionary. Hands down. Everyday, you get to talk to people and testify of Jesus Christ and of the happiness and joy that comes from following His eternal teachings.
What is a favorite scripture? Scriptures are applicable to every part of my life, so it's impossible to say there's a favorite. I have some top ones for different stages of life. Matthew 14:25-31, Mosiah 3:17, Mosiah 4:9, Doctrine & Covenants 124:55, Malachi 3:10.
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? The truth it contains. I love that I can trust everything it says and that it leads me closer to God. It answers questions for myself and gives me the ability to help others. It testifies of Christ and His mission constantly. It brings me comfort and a feeling of peace and rest when I read it.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? Knowing that I have access to absolute truth. God is real. He lives. His son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior. We get to live with Them again, and it's through their grace and mercy, along with our hard work that allows us that opportunity. The knowledge that I get to be with my family for eternity through the priesthood power. And getting to go to the temple, where I further learn and solidify truth. And it will never end.

Interested in being featured as a future "Monday Mormon"? It's easy! Just answer the ten questions above and e-mail them to steveowilliams at gmail dot com. Additionally, please include any biographical information you would like me to share in the introduction, a photo (or face the possibility of having one chosen by yours truly), and any pertinent web links. I am more than happy to provide a link back to your personal website or blog!

Scripture Sunday VII

2012-02-12T22:06:00.001-07:00

Today's scripture centers on the question "Who is God?" This question, debated for centuries, still flummoxes much of the world today. One of the reasons the Christian world considers The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a "cult" and outside of the Christian mainstream, is because of our understanding of who, and what, God is.

Following the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, the following Creed was adopted by much of the Christian world.

We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things, visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the essence of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things came into being, things in heaven and things on earth, Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down and became incarnate, becoming man, suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and will come again to judge the living and the dead;
And in the Holy Spirit.

Clear as mud, right? If it helps, here's the explanation in the Roman Catholic's Catechism. It's obvious basis in Greek philosophy and Neo-Platonism has extended into the modern Christian churches of today. The Protestant Reformation was aimed at removing the errors in Middle Age Christianity, but unfortunately they kept one of the worst of those errors intact. Here are some examples from modern church websites:

From the Central Christian Church's website:

We believe in one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And from the Community of Christ (formerly The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints):

We believe in one living God who meets us in the testimony of Israel, is revealed in Jesus Christ, and moves through all creation as the Holy Spirit. We affirm the Trinity—God who is a community of three persons. All things that exist owe their being to God: mystery beyond understanding and love beyond imagination. This God alone is worthy of our worship.

How this triune God, without body, parts, or passions, was able to walk with Adam in Eden (Genesis 2), walk with Enoch (Genesis 5:24), appear to Abram (Genesis 17:1) and Jacob (Genesis 32:30), then to Moses and the seventy elders of Israel (Exodus 24:9-11),and to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:26-28), John the Revelator (Revelation 4) and Stephen (Acts 7:55-56) is beyond my ability to understand.

Jesus prayed in John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." At another time, Jesus asked a group of Pharisees "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?" The Pharisees could not correctly answer. Luckily, God the Father did: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Who the mainstream Christian body believes Jesus was praying to in John 17 (and all those other times he was praying) is beyond me. However, knowing that Jesus taught that this knowledge is of a vital concern to us, thankfully the same God who spoke with Adam, Abraham, Moses and many more face to face again spoke to a prophet in our day. From him, comes this week's scripture:

The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him. --Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23

Potent Quotables XV

2012-02-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week I present a series of quotes by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Enjoy!

Search the scriptures--search the revelations which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. --The Evening and Morning Star 1:22.

We ask, does it remain for a people who never had faith enough to call down one scrap of revelation from heaven, and for all they have now are indebted to the faith of another people who lived hundreds and thousands of years before them, does it remain for them to say how much God has spoken and how much He has not spoken? We have what we have, and the Bible contains what it does contain: but to say that God never said anything more to man than is there recorded, would be saying at once that we have at last received a revelation: for it must require one to advance thus far, because it is nowhere said in that volume by the mouth of God, that He would not, after giving what is there contained, speak again; and if any man has found out for a fact that the Bible contains all that God ever revealed to man he has ascertained it by an immediate revelation, other than has been previously written by the prophets and apostles. --Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 61.

Ward Scavenger Hunt

2012-02-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

Last Monday for our Ward Home Evening, various teams competed in the photo scavenger hunt. Quickly, here were the rules they were given. Some of the teams were better than others at following them.

As this is a church-sponsored activity, and as the church believes “in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (12th Article of Faith), we are confident that no traffic laws will be broken—including speeding, running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, etc.
In order for your team to be considered for the grand prize, you must be in the building at 8pm and your phone/camera MUST be IN THE HANDS of an Home Evening Committee member!
‘Entire Team’ means your ENTIRE TEAM—you WILL require a fifth party to get all four of you in one single frame (except option #6). Complete strangers are often really helpful in this regard.
‘Person, Place or Thing’ means ACTUAL item—you may NOT take a photo of a photo of a mullet, nor may you find the image online and pretend that you took the pic.
‘Someone’ can be ANYONE—a friend, relative, a teammate, a roommate, a stranger, a cop, a waitress, we don’t care; we just want that action immortalized digitally.
‘Stranger’ means someone you DO NOT KNOW—and once they’ve taken a shot with you, they are now family—every Stranger picture will require someone NEW.
‘Teammate’ means one of the four people signed up on the team, one of the four folks who are on your team and appear in every single Entire Team picture.
Each picture may count only for one item—a shot of a deer in headlight giving birth is worth only ‘deer in headlights’ or ‘something giving birth’—NOT BOTH.
If we cannot figure out what your picture is, we will not count it. Please circle the photo ops below that you completed for ease in grading.

Below is a slide show of the results. Interested in all of the items they didn't do? There's a link to that too, here. Enjoy!

Monday Mormon: Emily P.

2012-02-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to this week's installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by my friend Emily. Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Emily now lives in Mesa, Arizona with her sister Sally until her forthcoming nuptials. Emily enjoys being outside, walking in the desert with delinquent children, and playing frisbee. She's an all around swell person, unless you're playing the board game Ticket to Ride. If so, she'll sabotage you.

Name: Emily P. (soon to be G.)
City of residence: Mesa, Arizona
Occupation: Job searching
How long have you been a Mormon? All my life.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, Paraguay Asuncion.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? That we worship Joseph Smith (...and another one because probably everyone wrote that: Our underwear never comes off, it never wears out and we never wash it.).
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? I've enjoyed serving in the Temple coordinator position because it keeps me focused on the Temple and it's blessings.
What is a favorite scripture? All of Alma 5.
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? It has given me perspective. I see what people went through anciently to build their faith and I can see that my troubles are much smaller.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? I believe in the promise of a forever family. So, being promised that I will be with them forever makes me very happy. Temple Marriage fits in that category. Second reason, there are chapels everywhere!! If I move from PA to ID to AZ...I can still go the the same church and be taught the same thing and feel the same Spirit. I love that consistency.

Scripture Sunday VI

2012-02-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

From Lehi's last words to his son Jacob (and today's Sunday School lesson):

Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

--2 Nephi 2:6-8

Retroblogging: Monday, January 10, 2005

2012-02-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's installment comes from the year 2005. Having just begun the second semester of our junior year at BYU and our second semester at the horrid Sparks II apartment complex, big things were on the horizon right from the start of this entry for my friends and I:

Don asked Mindi to marry him last night and she said yes! We are no longer the only group of friends in Provo that have never had an engaged roommate. We spent the greater part of the weekend watching a TV show entitled 24 on DVD. We only have four hours (out of the twenty-four) left to watch. Needless to say, it has kept us quite occupied--we have watched sixteen hours of it from Friday at 1:30 am to Sunday night. I am about to start training for the half-marathon I am running in March down in Moab with Heather and Casey in the ward. I have work in fifteen minuets. Good times...

After work, I watched the last four episodes of the first season of 24. Sunday night I also spent an hour talking to Heather over at her apartment about the half-marathon. I had missed the ward prayer due to an unanticipated extended nap, and she had given Kip a running schedule to give to me for training, so I went to ask her about it. What a great girl she is! She again extended the invitation to run at 6am with Casey and her. I am contemplating it. I really ought to because the run is in about nine weeks and I have not yet run at all. That is a bad thing because the half-marathon is 13.1 miles. But on the other hand, it's at 6 am...

A big group of us about a week later hiking up Squaw Peak, MLK Jr. Day, 1/17/05.

Me, Heather and Casey the day of the Canyonlands half marathon, Moab, Utah, 3/12/05.

Potent Quotables XIV

2012-02-02T03:24:00.000-07:00

What Pastor Jeffress was really saying back in October . . .

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often surprised to discover that some in the "Christian world" regard them as a non-Christian cult. The initial thought on the part of the Latter-day Saint is that such expressions represent either a misunderstanding or misinformation and that once our faith in Christ is explained the issue will be resolved. This is not the case. The fact that our faith is entirely Christ-centered, that we seek salvation in his name any by compliance to the principles of his gospel and in no other way has nothing to do with it. The fact that we use the New Testament as scripture and believe it more completely and literally than any people on earth has nothing to do with it. The fact that we would have no faith nor existence as a people had not both the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820 has nothing to do with it. The fact that we do not accept the clearly uninspired conclusions of the Council of Nicaea has everything to do with it, and nothing else matters! Such is the standard of orthodoxy that is being used, and it does not matter how large the paintings of Christ are that greet the patrons of our visitor's centers, nor does it matter how loyal we are to him. Adherents of historical Christianity have defined Christianity as loyalty to the determinations of the Council of Nicaea, and until we are willing to deny that Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God we will not be accepted as Christian by them. ...

Part of the irony of such a theological position lies in the fact that neither Christ nor his disciples professed belief in the doctrines of Nicaea. ... Thus the same definition that excludes the Latter-day Saints from being called Christians also excludes Christ and his New Testament disciples. --Joseph Fielding McConkie, Sons and Daughters of God: The Loss and Restoration of Our Divine Inheritance (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1994), 149-151.

Potent Quotables XIII

2012-02-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

"How sad it would be if the phone and computer, with all their sophistication, drowned out the simplicity of sincere prayer to a loving Father in Heaven. Let us be as quick to knee; as we are to text." --Elder Ian S. Ardern of the Seventy, Ensign, Nov. 2011, 32.

"We are indebted to God for the ability to use time to advantage, and he will require of us a strict accounting of [its] disposition." --President Brigham Young, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, [1997], 286.

"Hiram Page, one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon, taught us a valuable lesson about distractions. He had a certain stone and through it recorded what he thought were revelations for the Church (see D&C 28). On Hiram’s being corrected, an account says the stone was taken and ground into powder so it would never again be a distraction.* I invite us to identify the time-wasting distractions in our lives that may need to be figuratively ground into dust. We will need to be wise in our judgment to ensure that the scales of time are correctly balanced to include the Lord, family, work, and wholesome recreational activities. As many have already discovered, there is an increase of happiness in life as we use our time to seek after those things which are 'virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy' (Articles of Faith 1:13)." --Elder Ian S. Arden of the Seventy, Ensign, Nov. 2011, 32.

Monday Mormon: Andrew S.

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to this week's installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by my good friend Andrew. Born in New Jersey and raised in Ohio, we first met as roommates our freshman year at BYU. Since then, he managed to walk on to the BYU football team, graduate from BYU twice (once with a bachelors degree and again with a master's), attend Ohio State Medical School, get married, have two children, and is now in his residency as a doctor. Talk about an underachiever . . . You can read his blog by clicking here.

Name: Andrew W. Stacey
City of residence: Columbus, Ohio
Occupation: Physician (resident)
How long have you been a Mormon? I was baptized in 1990 at the age or 8.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, in the Milan, Italy mission from 2001-2003. The boundaries of my mission included all of Italy north of Florence.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Just last week a co-worked found out that my wife does part-time work as a paralegal. She politely asked if I were a 'practicing' Mormon. When I said yes she then asked, "But isn't it true that mormon women aren't allowed to work? Don't women have to stay home with kids once they get married?" I explained that while a number of LDS women do choose to stay home, many work and use daycare, many have jobs from home, and many choose to take a few years off work with small kids but go back to work later.
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? Being a full-time missionary was the best. Other than missionary, I really enjoy working with the youth (12-18 years old) in my congregation. We do everything from scouting, to sports, to spiritual retreats.
What is a favorite scripture? "And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen." Enos 1:27
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? The Book of Mormon keeps me grounded. Reading the BoM allows me to see past the day-to-day tasks of life and realize, though sometimes only briefly, the big picture: the atonement of Jesus Christ.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? I enjoy being 'peculiar'. I love to see peoples reactions (or at least imagine what they are thinking) when they find out I am Mormon. Most of the time here in Ohio I am the first Mormon they have known. Their thoughts usually go something like this, "hmm, Mormon. Like the cult? But he seems normal. He is nice, and really happy. Hmmm, every other Mormon is nice and happy too. I guess all that weird stuff I have heard might not be true. I guess I am cool with this."

Scripture Sunday V

2012-01-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Nephi, commanded to build a ship by the Lord, is opposed by his brothers Laman and Lemuel. As part of his response to his brother's complaints, Nephi says:

45Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder. 46And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts? 47Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever. Behold, I am full of the Spirit of God, insomuch that my frame has no strength. --1 Nephi 17:45-47

“The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. It is described as a ‘still small voice’ [D&C 85:6]. And while we speak of ‘listening’ to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, ‘I had a feeling. . . .’
“Revelation comes as words we feel more than hear. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who were visited by an angel, ‘Ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.’ [1 Nephi 17:45; italics added]” (Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov. 1994, 60).

Potent Quotables XII

2012-01-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today's PQ will be a little different. Instead of choosing random quotes, all of the quotes are from the same address. However, because the quotes will be more meaningful within the entire address, I have posted it in its entirety and bolded the "potent" parts. Enjoy!

"Moral Discipline"

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Nov. 2009, 105-108.

During World War II, President James E. Faust, then a young enlisted man in the United States Army, applied for officer candidate school. He appeared before a board of inquiry composed of what he described as “hard-bitten career soldier[s].” After a while their questions turned to matters of religion. The final questions were these:

“In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?”

President Faust relates:

“I recognized that here was a chance perhaps to make some points and look broad-minded. I knew perfectly well that the men who were asking me this question did not live by the standards that I had been taught. The thought flashed through my mind that perhaps I could say that I had my own beliefs but did not wish to impose them on others. But there seemed to flash before my mind the faces of the many people to whom I had taught the law of chastity as a missionary. In the end I simply said, ‘I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.’

“I left the hearing resigned to the fact that [they] would not like the answers I had given … and would surely score me very low. A few days later when the scores were posted, to my astonishment I had passed. I was in the first group taken for officer’s candidate school! …

“This was one of the critical crossroads of my life.” 1

President Faust recognized that we all possess the God-given gift of moral agency—the right to make choices and the obligation to account for those choices (see D&C 101:78). He also understood and demonstrated that, for positive outcomes, moral agency must be accompanied by moral discipline.

By “moral discipline,” I mean self-discipline based on moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45). The root of the word discipline is shared by the word disciple, suggesting to the mind the fact that conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline that, coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous and morally excellent person.

Jesus’s own moral discipline was rooted in His discipleship to the Father. To His disciples He explained, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). By this same pattern, our moral discipline is rooted in loyalty and devotion to the Father and the Son. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that provides the moral certainty upon which moral discipline rests.

The societies in which many of us live have for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.” As the Lord describes it, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god” (D&C 1:16).

As a consequence, self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments. One columnist observed that “gentlemanly behavior [for example, once] protected women from coarse behavior. Today, we expect sexual harassment laws to restrain coarse behavior. …

“Policemen and laws can never replace customs, traditions and moral values as a means for regulating human behavior. At best, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.” 2

In most of the world, we have been experiencing an extended and devastating economic recession. It was brought on by multiple causes, but one of the major causes was widespread dishonest and unethical conduct, particularly in the U.S. housing and financial markets. Reactions have focused on enacting more and stronger regulation. Perhaps that may dissuade some from unprincipled conduct, but others will simply get more creative in their circumvention. 3 There could never be enough rules so finely crafted as to anticipate and cover every situation, and even if there were, enforcement would be impossibly expensive and burdensome. This approach leads to diminished freedom for everyone. In the memorable phrase of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, “We would not accept the yoke of Christ; so now we must tremble at the yoke of Caesar.” 4

In the end, it is only an internal moral compass in each individual that can effectively deal with the root causes as well as the symptoms of societal decay. Societies will struggle in vain to establish the common good until sin is denounced as sin and moral discipline takes its place in the pantheon of civic virtues. 5

Moral discipline is learned at home. While we cannot control what others may or may not do, the Latter-day Saints can certainly stand with those who demonstrate virtue in their own lives and inculcate virtue in the rising generation. Remember from Book of Mormon history the young men who were key to the Nephite victory in the long war of 66 to 60 B.C.—the sons of the people of Ammon. Their character and discipline were described in these words:

“They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

“Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:20–21).

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47).

“Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27).

Here we find a standard for what should happen in our homes and in the Church. Our teaching should draw upon our own faith and focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. Each must be persuaded that service and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others are far superior to making one’s own comfort and possessions the highest priority.

This requires more than an occasional reference to one or another gospel principle. There must be constant teaching, mostly by example. President Henry B. Eyring expressed the vision we strive to attain:

“The pure gospel of Jesus Christ must go down into the hearts of [our children] by the power of the Holy Ghost. It will not be enough for them to have had a spiritual witness of the truth and to want good things later. It will not be enough for them to hope for some future cleansing and strengthening. Our aim must be for them to become truly converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ while they are with us. …

“Then they will have gained a strength from what they are, not only from what they know. They will become disciples of Christ.” 6

I have heard a few parents state that they don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are (see D&C 93:24). Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.

Seeking to be neutral about the gospel is, in reality, to reject the existence of God and His authority. We must, rather, acknowledge Him and His omniscience if we want our children to see life’s choices clearly and be able to think for themselves. They should not have to learn by sad experience that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

I can share with you a simple example from my own life of what parents can do. When I was about five or six years old, I lived across the street from a small grocery store. One day two other boys invited me to go with them to the store. As we stood coveting the candy for sale there, the older boy grabbed a candy bar and slipped it into his pocket. He urged the other boy and me to do the same, and after some hesitation we did. Then we quickly left the store and ran off in separate directions. I found a hiding place at home and tore off the candy wrapper. My mother discovered me with the chocolate evidence smeared on my face and escorted me back to the grocery store. As we crossed the street, I was sure I was facing life imprisonment. With sobs and tears, I apologized to the owner and paid him for the candy bar with a dime that my mother had loaned me (which I had to earn later). My mother’s love and discipline put an abrupt and early end to my life of crime.

All of us experience temptations. So did the Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. We may want to, but we don’t have to. An incredulous female friend asked a young adult woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she had never “slept with anybody.” “Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. The young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly beside the point. … Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.” 7

In some cases, temptation may have the added force of potential or actual addiction. I am grateful that for an increasing number of people the Church can provide therapeutic help of various kinds to aid them in avoiding or coping with addictions. Even so, while therapy can support a person’s will, it cannot substitute for it. Always and ever, there must be an exercise of discipline—moral discipline founded on faith in God the Father and the Son and what They can achieve with us through the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. In Peter’s words, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:9).

We cannot presume that the future will resemble the past—that things and patterns we have relied upon economically, politically, socially will remain as they have been. Perhaps our moral discipline, if we will cultivate it, will have an influence for good and inspire others to pursue the same course. We may thereby have an impact on future trends and events. At a minimum, moral discipline will be of immense help to us as we deal with whatever stresses and challenges may come in a disintegrating society.

We have heard thoughtful and inspired messages during this conference, and in a moment President Thomas S. Monson will provide concluding words of counsel. As we prayerfully consider what we have learned and relearned, I believe that the Spirit will shed further light on those things that have particular application for each of us individually. We will be fortified in the moral discipline needed to walk uprightly before the Lord and be at one with Him and the Father.

I stand with my brethren and with you, my brothers and sisters, as a witness that God is our Father and that His Son, Jesus, is our Redeemer. Their law is immutable, Their truth is everlasting, and Their love is infinite. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes
1. James E. Faust, Stories from My Life (2001), 2–3.
2. Walter Williams, “Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values,” Deseret News, Apr. 29, 2009, A15.
3. Speaking some years ago to members of the legal profession, President James E. Faust cautioned: “There is a great risk in justifying what we do individually and professionally on the basis of what is ‘legal’ rather than what is ‘right.’ In so doing, we put our very souls at risk. The philosophy that what is legal is also right will rob us of what is highest and best in our nature. What conduct is actually legal is, in many instances, way below the standards of a civilized society and light years below the teachings of the Christ. If you accept what is legal as your standard of personal or professional conduct, you will deny yourself of that which is truly noble in your personal dignity and worth” (“Be Healers,” Clark Memorandum, spring 2003, 3).
4. “Bishop Fulton John Sheen Makes a Wartime Plea,” in William Safire, sel., Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, rev. ed. (1997), 478.
5. Editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal once observed: Quote missing from post...
6. Henry B. Eyring, in Shaun D. Stahle, “Inspiring Students to Stand Strong amid Torrent of Temptation,” Church News, Aug. 18, 2001, 5.
7. Sarah E. Hinlicky, “Subversive Virginity,” First Things, Oct. 1998, 14.

I Am a Child of God

2012-01-25T03:10:00.002-07:00

From a speech given by Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland back in 1999 at BYU.

But Moses' message to you today is, "Don't let your guard down." Don't assume that a great revelation, some marvelous illuminating moment, or the opening of an inspired path is the end of it. Remember, it isn't over until it's over.

If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don't give up when the pressure mounts.

You can read the speech in its entirety here.

Monday Mormon: Jessica G.

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to this week's installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by my friend Jessica. Raised in Ohio, she now resides in Utah with her husband Doug. You can read her blog by clicking here.

Name: Jessica G.
City of residence: Orem, UT
Occupation: Stay at Home Wife? (I have a heart condition that isn't allowing me to work right now)
How long have you been a Mormon? My whole life.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? My friend was going to drive me home from high school one day. We walked to her car and as I opened the passenger side door to get in she looked at me, horrified, and said (or rather, nearly screamed) "I thought you guys (meaning the Mormons) weren't supposed to ride in the front seat until you're 16!"
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? Sunbeam Teacher (the 3 year old Sunday school class). I love being in an environmental where the gospel stays so simple a 3 year old can understand it. And I like eating snacks at church.
What is a favorite scripture? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along..." Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-18
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? No matter how hard the day is, if I read the Book of Mormon long enough, a feeling of peace fills my heart and I can be happy.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? The peace of knowing who I am, why I am here and that my trials aren't for nothing.

You throw out the baby and keep the bath water

2012-01-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

I try to leave some time between posts so one does not get overlooked, but I just saw what Ann Coulter had to say on Fox and Friends this morning, and I love it! I couldn't agree more. Really conservatives? Newt Gingrich?!?

One thing you may notice too is that no one makes any mention of Ron Paul. Why? Because no one actually thinks he has any chance of winning. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE his fiscal policy ideas. However, like most who actually listen to him (that aren't his loyal Paulbots) I see that his foreign policy is naive and unrealistic. Let Iran get the nuclear bomb unimpeded? Stop supporting our only reliable ally in the Middle East? Bring the whole military home and everyone will leave us alone and those darn terrorists will stop trying to kill us? We've tried that before and it didn't work out so well.

Scripture Sunday IV

2012-01-22T18:59:00.001-07:00

I picked today's scripture for several reasons: 1) Because I love Abinadi, and 2) Because I'm sick of all of these Evangelicals telling everyone who will listen that they are the true Christians, and Mormons like Mitt Romney aren't. I won't go into my thoughts about Newt's recent win in South Carolina in this post, or any philosophical or doctrinal arguments Evangelicals make for their claims, but instead, here is part of Abinadi's amazing testimony of Christ before the wicked king Noah and his equally wicked priests. Two quick notes: 1) this speech was made in approx. 148 BC, so Christ had not yet lived his mortal life, and 2) I removed the verse numbers and added paragraphs to ease in reading. To see the original click on the link below.

And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: "The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.

"And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not. For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil.

"Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God.

"And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

"He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—if they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.

And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved? Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come—teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen." --Mosiah 16

While I love the words he spoke, I also love that he so boldly testified of the Savior in front of wicked men who held his mortal life in their hands. He knew they had been taught the truth and should therefore know better than to live and teach as they had been. The entire episode is powerful and I encourage you to take the time to read it. It begins in Mosiah chapter 11 and continues through chapter 17--though the effect of his address can be felt throughout the rest of the Book of Mormon.

It is the word of God and I know you will draw closer to Christ as you read it. And, if the crazies out there would actually take the time to read it, they would say less crazy things.

Want a free copy of the Book of Mormon? Click here!

And for those of you who had these as a kid, here's a little clip of the cartoon Living Scriptures video on Abinadi:

Potent Quotables XI

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week's quotes all deal with the topic of "truth."

First, the catholic nature of truth:

"We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, truth will endure. No man’s faith, no man’s religion, no religious organization in all the world, can ever rise above the truth" (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939],1).

Secondly, a quote on the danger of overshadowing truth by focusing on the imperfection of the messenger:

"Looking to our history, our critics may see little of divinity in the great work of the Prophet Joseph Smith and those associated with him. Were our forebears human? Of course they were. They doubtless made some mistakes. Some of them acknowledged making mistakes. But the mistakes were minor when compared with the marvelous work that they accomplished. To highlight the mistakes and gloss over the greater good is to draw a caricature. Caricatures are amusing, but they are often ugly and dishonest. A man may have a wart on his cheek and still have a face of beauty and strength, but if the wart is emphasized unduly in relation to his other features, the portrait is lacking in integrity.

"These early leaders made no pretense at being perfect. They recognized that there was only one perfect man who ever walked the earth. The Lord has used imperfect people in the process of building His perfect society. If some of them occasionally stumbled, or if their characters were slightly flawed in one way or another, the wonder is the greater that they accomplished so much" (Gordon B. Hinckley, CES Fireside, September 9, 2001).

And finally, the correct way to obtain truth:

"You must distinguish between truth and sophistry. There can be a vast difference between the two, and unless we are careful, we may find that we are believing in the sophistry of man rather than the truth of God" (Gordon B. Hinckley, CES Fireside, September 9, 2001).

President Gordon B. Hinckley made these remarks to college-aged Latter-day Saints in 2001.

"I wish to say a few words on intellectualism—that quality that some say we deny in our work. A so-called scholar recently expressed the view that the Church is an enemy of intellectualism. This strikes particularly at you people in your present circumstances. If he meant by intellectualism that branch of philosophy that teaches 'the doctrine that knowledge is wholly or chiefly derived from pure reason' and 'that reason is the final principle of reality' (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language [1967], "intellectualism," 738), then, yes, we are opposed to so narrow an interpretation as applicable to religion.

"Such an interpretation excludes the power of the Holy Spirit in speaking to and through man. Of course we believe in the cultivation of the mind. The emphasis in the classes you are taking in your various courses demands the cultivation of the mind and the use of its powers. But the intellect is not the only source of knowledge. There is a promise, given under the inspiration of the Almighty, set forth in these beautiful words: 'God shall give unto you knowledge by his holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost' (D&C 121:26).

"The humanists who criticize us, the so-called intellectuals who demean us, speak only from ignorance of this manifestation. They have not heard the voice of the Spirit. They have not heard it because they have not sought after it and prepared themselves to be worthy of it. Then, supposing that knowledge comes only of reasonings and of the workings of the mind, they deny that which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God. That Spirit is real. To those who have experienced its workings, the knowledge so gained is as real as that received through the operation of the five senses. I testify of this. I am confident that each of you can testify of it. I urge you to continue throughout your lives to cultivate a heart in tune with the Spirit. If you do so, your lives will be enriched. You will feel a kinship with God our Eternal Father. You will taste the sweetness of joy that can be had in no other way.

"Do not be trapped by the sophistry of the world, which for the most part is negative and which seldom, if ever, bears good fruit. Do not be ensnared by those clever ones whose self-appointed mission it is to demean that which is sacred, to emphasize human weakness, and undermine faith, rather than inspire strength. 'Look to God and live' (Alma 37:47).

"Well did Jacob say long ago:

"'O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

"'But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God' (2 Nephi 9:28–29)" (CES Fireside, September 9, 2001).

As you probably noticed, many of these quotes came from the same address. Here is the link if you would like to read it in its entirety. I highly recommend it.

Awkward TV

2012-01-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Super awkward TV here people.

Monday Mormon: Stacie L.

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to this week's installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by Stacie L., an aunt of mine and all around great human being. A mother of four, and a grandmother of one, Stacie is also an avid tennis player.

Name: Stacie L.
City of residence: Mesa, Arizona
Occupation: Receptionist.
How long have you been a Mormon? Always.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Hopefully a humanitarian mission when we retire.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? So many!!! The latest I was asked about is whether we believe in educating the young women of our church..
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? Most every calling becomes my favorite calling.
What is a favorite scripture? Helaman 5:12: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? The knowledge and peace it brings into my life.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? I have hope for the future.

Scripture Sunday III

2012-01-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today's scripture comes from advice from Alma to his son Helaman.

"And, now, O my son Helaman, behold thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."--Alma 36:3

Not a lot to say about this one. Sometimes it's just good to have the reminder.

Retroblogging: Tuesday, October 28, 2003

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's edition finds me catching up on events from the previous weekend, ranging from fun at work, to a ward party, to food poisoning. Read on read on-ers. . .

On Friday twenty-eight BYU Creamery Vanilla Milk pints went past their sell-by sate at work. So, in process of figuring out what to do with them, Rosa agreed to the gallon challenge. Actually, she was rather excited about the whole event. The only stipulation was that she wanted to be compensated for doing it, if it fact she could finish the whole gallon. I offered to buy her a ticked to Frankenstein at the Varsity Theatre this weekend, but she quickly figured out the tickets are free. So, we finally agreed that if she did it, she would get the movie ticket and $20. With our boss Jeff donating $10, and others putting in bills or change of varying amounts, I raised the required money. We also agreed to her only having to drink six of the pints, not the eight that are equivalent to a gallon (at least that was what everyone seemed to agree that a gallon would be equivalent to).

At 2:30pm, Kari and I watched Rosa get through three bottles, each consecutively getting harder to finish.
The before shot
Finally, on the fourth, she took a sip, set it down, gave up and went to the bathroom to puke.
The after shot
Well, I felt bad and let her keep the change I had raised (the non-bill donations that is).

Well, Saturday I was lucky enough to spend my day at the bookstore working. That night was the ward Halloween party. I dressed weird. At my suggestion Kip went as Jon--meaning he found a pile of clothes in Jon's room and wore them to the party. The funny thing is that everyone figured out who he was supposed to be on sight. We had a good time and everything turned out well.
Don, Kip and I in costume
The Ward Activities Committee

The sad part of yesterday was that instead of doing the two big assignments that I needed to do for class today, I was puking due to an apparent case of food poisoning. Hopefully, I can get those done and turn them in late for some points . . .

Two Hats

2012-01-12T02:47:00.000-07:00

So, in my ward, I have two hats--one is that of a Sunday School Gospel Doctrine teacher. I love this hat. I prepare for a lesson, then teach said lesson on Sunday. For a church calling it's pretty simple.

My other hat is that of the Home Evening co-chair. For those of you not fully aware of Mormon culture, the Church strongly encourages families to set aside one night each week (usually Monday) for a "family home evening" in which a family gets together and shares a spiritual thought, plays a game, spends quality time together, etc. In the life of a single Mormon, you have Home Evening as a ward (or congregation). Again, like most other programs in the YSA (Young Single Adult) population, this is designed as a way for you to get married. So, as co-chair of the home evening committee, it is my responsibility, along with my committee, to ensure this event happens every Monday evening. Thankfully, I have an amazing committee who do a great job at putting events together. Usually, we assign out each week to two committee members and they do whatever they'd like as long as something happens. I am a meeting minimalist. I hate meetings. So, because of the way we set up our committee, we only meet once a month for 20 minutes. It's great. If only I could convert the rest of the world to my philosophy . . .

Anyway, this past Monday we were actually invited by the YSAs in our stake, but not in the ward, to join them at Sweet Cakes Cafe in Downtown Mesa for pizza and ice cream.

Talk about an ideal activity! We got to meet new people, eat free food, and not have to plan anything--the hallmarks of any good YSA activity. To those who put it on, thank you! And another thank you to Brother Sumner who took these wonderful photos.

Potent Quotables X

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Again, this week I have a couple of quotes for you to consider. The first two come from an incredible book about the Great Depression entitled The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. If you actually want to know the reality of the causes, realities, events, and consequences of the Depression, and the government's policies in response to it, read this book. The first quote today is from page 38 and deals with the years prior to the Depression and one of my all-time favorite presidents--Calvin Coolidge.

The minimalist president Calvin Coolidge concluded quite simply that 'that man [Herbert Hoover] has offered me unsolicited advice for six years, all of it bad.' He had a nickname for Hoover: 'Wonder Boy.'

The second, also comes from Schlaes's book. This one, found on page 44, shows that great minds do in fact think alike.

That same year [1927] the New York Times published an interview with [Thomas] Edison, now just on the brink of retirement. It contained the following exchange: NYT: 'Do you think President Coolidge will be renominated and reelected?' Edison: 'He ought to be.'

Sadly, Coolidge chose not to run again in 1928 despite huge popularity, and actually passed away not long after. This opening gave Hoover his opportunity to run. If you don't already know how that turned out, see today's first quote for a sneak peek.

Lastly, here is part of one of my favorite BYU Forum addresses by author David McCullough. Here, the author and historian explains what many sadly fail to realize when they read history. Character and integrity count. If you have time, I encourage you to read the whole thing. I provided the link below.

One of the hardest, and I think the most important, realities of history to convey to students or readers of books or viewers of television documentaries is that nothing ever had to happen the way it happened. Any great past event could have gone off in any number of different directions for any number of different reasons. We should understand that history was never on a track. It was never preordained that it would turn out as it did.

Very often we are taught history as if it were predetermined, and if that way of teaching begins early enough and is sustained through our education, we begin to think that it had to have happened as it did. We think that there had to have been a Revolutionary War, that there had to have been a Declaration of Independence, that there had to have been a Constitution, but never was that so. In history, chance plays a part again and again. Character counts over and over. Personality is often the determining factor in why things turn out the way they do.

Furthermore, nobody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, George Washington—they didn’t walk around saying, “Isn’t this fascinating living in the past? Aren’t we picturesque in our funny clothes?” They were living in the present, just as we do. The great difference is that it was their present, not ours. And just as we don’t know how things are going to turn out, they didn’t either.

We can know about the years that preceded us and about the people who preceded us. And if we love our country—-if we love the blessings of a society that welcomes free speech, freedom of religion, and, most important of all, freedom to think for ourselves-—then surely we ought to know how it came to be. Who was responsible? What did they do? How much did they contribute? How much did they suffer?--"The Glorious Cause of America: How a coarse, untrained army--'rabble in arms'--stood up to the world's most powerful army," BYU Forum address 27 Sept. 2005.

The Tree of Life

2012-01-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

Coming this week to a Sunday School near you . . .

From Book of Mormon Class Member Study Guide, (1999), 3:

As you study the account of the vision of the tree of life, watch for the following symbols and their meanings:

Tree of life (1 Nephi 8:10; 11:8–25)

Fruit of the tree of life (1 Nephi 8:10–18, 30; 15:36; see also D&C 14:7)

Rod of iron (1 Nephi 8:19–24, 30; 11:25; 15:23–24)

Mist of darkness (1 Nephi 8:23–24; 12:17)

River of filthy water (1 Nephi 8:13, 26, 32; 15:26–29)

Great and spacious building (1 Nephi 8:26–28, 31, 33; 12:18)

When Nephi was shown the tree of life, he asked to know its interpretation (1 Nephi 11:8–11). What did he learn that the tree represents? (See 1 Nephi 11:21–25.) What did Nephi see that helped him better understand God’s love? (See 1 Nephi 11:13–21, 24, 26–33; see also John 3:16.)
How did Lehi and Nephi describe the tree of life and its fruit? (See 1 Nephi 8:10–12; 11:8–9, 23; 15:36.)
In the vision, Lehi saw “numberless concourses of people” (1 Nephi 8:21). These people can be divided into four categories based on their attitudes toward the tree and the fruit. Read 1 Nephi 8:21–33, and look for these four categories. How are these categories manifest in the world today? In which category do you feel you are?

Monday Mormon: Jeff S.

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to the second installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by Jeff S. Jeff writes computer software and loves to read books. Sometimes he also interacts with human beings. He is a lifelong Mormon and lives with his lovely wife in Lehi, Utah. You can read his unique perspectives on life at Jeff's Thoughts and Stories.

Name: Jeff S.
City of residence: Lehi, Utah.
Occupation: Software Engineer.
How long have you been a Mormon? I was born into the church but was baptized 22 years ago.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, I served in the South Dakota Rapid City Mission.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? We perform human sacrifices in the Salt Lake temple and throw the bodies out the window into the Great Salt Lake. (They must think we have insanely strong arms.)
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? I really enjoyed being Executive Secretary. It allowed me the opportunity to work closely with the Bishopric and see the Lord's hand in the direction of the ward. (But without all the responsibility of actually being the Bishop or counselor)
What is a favorite scripture? Alma 26:16: "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." This is Ammon basically giving his mission homecoming speech. I just love the way he expresses that, "I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." That's how I feel sometimes. I feel so much love from the Lord and I can't even express all that I feel.
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? It never ceases to amaze me how perfect the Book of Mormon is. The more I study it the more I find the perfect answers for my problems. The Book of Mormon points to Jesus Christ and teaches us how to look to Him for everything we need. But, amazingly, it is able to give me specific answers for specific problems as well.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? I love that Mormons are all about the search for truth. Joseph Smith said, "One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may." Through the Church I've been able to discover great truths about the nature of our Heavenly Father and about my relationship to him. I love to continually study the scriptures and visit the temple and discover the continual flow of truth through the spirit.

Scripture Sunday II

2012-01-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today's scripture is on a topic I have been pondering frequently as of late. You may have noticed as much in my last posts from 2011. Speaking of the day in which the Book of Mormon would be brought forth,

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: 'I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, "We have enough," from them shall be taken away even that which they have. Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.'" --2 Nephi 28:30-31

Potent Quotables IX

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Potent Quotable Thursday People! I have three quotes to share today. The first is especially appropriate considering this time of year is pregnant with self-reflection and goal setting.

"I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring, noble, and righteous goals that fire your imagination and create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work constantly towards achieving them." --Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2007, 46.

"Away on the Fort Peck Reservation [Montana] where I was doing missionary work with some of the brethren, ... I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night in that sacred building, the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and, as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, he arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and he smiled as he softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into his arms and kissed me, pressed me to his bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When he had finished, I fell at his feet, and, as I bathed them in my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of him who hath all things in his hands, to have his love, his affection, and his blessing was such that if I ever receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to feel what I then felt!" --Elder Melvin J. Ballard, "He Spoke My Name," Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, compiled by Bryant S. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co. 1949, 157.

And finally, a quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith, taken from a letter addressed to the Saints as he sat in Liberty Jail, Liberty, Missouri.

As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri River in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints." --Doctrine & Covenants 121:33.

A Book of Mormon Story, updated

2012-01-04T03:33:00.000-07:00

Hey all, a quick update, now on this post is all three of the videos I showed as part of my introductory lesson on the Book of Mormon.

And this is the video I was going to show but did not get to because we ran out of time.

Monday Mormon: Steve W.

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to the first installment of "Monday Mormon." This week's submission is by me, Steve.

Name: Steve W.
City of residence: Mesa, Arizona
Occupation: Teacher by training, Costumer Service Associate for fun.
How long have you been a Mormon? My entire life, but technically since I was baptized almost twenty-two years ago.
Did you serve a mission? If so, where? Yes, I served in the Montana Billings Mission.
What is the weirdest rumor/myth you have heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? In the temple, we build space ships.
What has been your favorite church calling? Why? Gospel Doctrine Teacher. I love this calling because it involves teaching (a true love of mine), scripture study (another love), and the opportunity to help Saints of all levels of knowledge and testimony increase in both.
What is a favorite scripture? Acts 6:5,8-10 (see last post)
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon in your life? I am grateful for the Book of Mormon because it is the keystone of my witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon provides a second witness of the truthfulness of the Bible and the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ. One of the arguments nonbelievers use to attack Christians is the long and sometimes murky history of the transmission of the Bible from ancient times to today. Here in the Book of Mormon we have a second witness untouched by anyone from its completion to translation that testifies of the same truths found in the Bible. And, each time I read from the pages of the Book of Mormon, the Spirit testifies to me of the divinity, reality, and mission of Jesus Christ as my Savior and Redeemer.
What is your favorite part about being a Mormon? My favorite part about being Mormon is my knowledge of God's Plan of Happiness for us. This life is not the beginning or the ending of my existence. Sure bad things happen in this life, and they can and are heartbreaking at times. However, the grand vision of eternity provided by the Plan of Salvation gives me hope that regardless of the trials I face now, God has a greater destiny in store for me.

Scripture Sunday I

2012-01-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

This week's scripture comes from the Book of Acts in the New Testament. Not only is it great because my name is in it (and it's spelled correctly), but also because I desire to live my life in such a way that one day people will say similar words about this Stephen (fingers pointed at me).

"They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost ... And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue ... disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." --Acts 6:5,8-10

New Year, New Blog Features

2012-01-01T19:00:00.002-07:00

Happy 2012 to all of my blog readers! As the New Year is a time of new beginnings, and goal setting, I have decided to up the ante on my blog. Beginning today, January 1st, and continuing throughout the week, I will be rolling out some new weekly features. Some will succeed, while others may die out. Survival of the fittest here on Believe Steve . . . Anyway, here's a tentative schedule for you to look forward to:

Scripture Sundays: Each Sunday I will be posting a favorite scripture, followed by an explanation as to why I like it.
Monday Mormon: Each Monday, I am turning the spotlight outward. I will begin by spotlighting myself tomorrow, then each Monday thereafter, I will allow any interested reader to share the spotlight on the reasons they love being Mormon. Each contributor will answer the same 10 questions. All interested parties are welcome! If you would like to be spotlighted one week as a "Monday Mormon," please e-mail me at steveowilliams at gmail dot com. Your e-mail should include your answers to the ten questions I will answer tomorrow. Include also, if you'd like, any bio information you'd like me to share, a link to your blog/website if you'd like, along with a photo--especially if you do not want me to choose a photo on your behalf...
Potent Quotable Thursday: This is actually a feature I have done on an irregular basis in the past. Now, I will be posting one interesting quote each Thursday.
Flashback Friday: Here again, is the regulation of a formerly sporadic feature. Every other Friday I will be posting a "retroblog," i.e. an old journal entry from my pre-blogging days solely for your enjoyment.

There are a couple of more ideas I am still considering as well. What do you think? Should I add anything else? Or, do you already hear from me enough as it is?

"Economic Justice," part two

2011-12-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there has been some misunderstanding about my last post and Jesus' and/or God's use of force vis a vis the role of commandments in the Plan of Salvation. So, now you get to hear even more about it.

God does not force or demand you to do anything. You have agency, which gives you the ability to do whatever the heck you want. Or as Samuel the Lamanite stated: "Remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free" (Helaman 14:30).

Using agency unwisely however, as Samuel reminds us, does not mean that you are excused from the consequences of those actions. God allows you to do whatever you want in this life, but in order to receive the blessings he has promised, he does expect you to choose to follow him. As Joseph Smith put it, "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—-and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (Doctrine & Covenants 130:20-21). Elder Russell M. Nelson further points out that "obedience allows God's blessings to flow without constraint" (Ensign, May 2011, 34). While this subordination of your will to his could appear to be limiting your choices in this life (for greater blessings in the next), it is never demanded by God.

In fact, as author Dennis Rasmussen once pointed out, "revealed religion has never sought to force man's obedience without first degenerating into apostasy itself. At the same time, revealed religion has never pretended that there is no ultimate truth." (The Lord's Question, 53). Just because God expects is to behave in a certain way according to revealed truth, he by no means forces us to do so. We always have the choice.

In fact, forcing man to behave responsibly and righteously has never been a desire of the righteous, but of the antithesis of all righteousness. As was revealed to the prophet Abraham anciently, in the premortal realm "there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: 'We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; and they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.' And the Lord said: 'Whom shall I send?' And one answered like unto the Son of Man: 'Here am I, send me.' And another answered and said: 'Here am I, send me.' And the Lord said: 'I will send the first.' And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him" (Abraham 3:24-28).

And why was the second angry? As God revealed to Moses: "That Satan ... is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—-'Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.' But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me-—'Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.' Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; and he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice" (Moses 4:1-4).

And thus we see that Satan's plan has not changed since that day long before the creation of the world at the grand council in heaven. It has been, and always will be, Satan's plan and desire to remove man's agency and force them to do his will instead of the Father's. It is for this reason that I believe fascism and its American cousin "Progressivism" are inherently evil systems, and why I originally posted the video that began the last post. If we accept that Satan is evil, then we must also accept that any system in which man is forced into doing anything (whether it be for "the common good" or otherwise) is also inherently Satanic or evil. As defined by author Jonah Goldberg,

fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the "problem" and therefore defined as the enemy ... American liberalism embodies all of these aspects of fascism (Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Change, 23).

Under this definition, much of what today is known as American Liberalism or Progressivism is inherently evil. A caveat here--no I am not saying that all liberals are evil or Satanic. And no, I am not saying that every facet of liberalism or Progressivism is evil. What I am saying is that any ideology or tenet that demands obedience and collects is through the use of force is inherently evil.

This ideology, as stated by the protestor in the video demanding higher taxes, and stating that Jesus would "force" the rich to pay them is the same thinking that, for those Atlas Shrugged fans, leads to the issuing of Directive 10-289:

"But it is their own fault," said Eugene Lawson, turning aggressively to Dr. Ferris. "It's their lack of social spirit. They refuse to recognize that production is not a private choice, but a public duty. They have no right to fail, no matter what conditions happen to come up. They've got to go on producing. It's a social imperative. A man's work is not a personal matter. There's no such thing as a personal matter--or a personal life. That's what we've got to force them to learn" (Atlas Shrugged, 533).

"Economic Justice"? Updated

2011-12-22T00:42:00.001-07:00

I am posting this because I love the guy's logic. Or something like that. I don't seem to recall anywhere in the Bible, or any other scripture, where Jesus compels someone to do something or takes away someone's choice. Nor do I recall Jesus stating anywhere that the best way to help the poor is though taxation of the rich. Am I wrong on either of these points?

Instead of compulsion, I recall passages such as these:

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." 2 Nephi 2:27

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." 2 Nephi 10:23

"Wherefore, he [God] gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good." Alma 12:31

"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." Helaman 14:30

And by the way, what is "economic justice"? Is he a relative of "social justice"?

Fourth Best President!

2011-12-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Lily and the Puppets

2011-12-18T23:13:00.003-07:00

Lily and her parents came over for dinner tonight. Lily really likes hand puppets, and hats. Please ignore my mess. I really am in the process of cleaning and organizing it . . .

Far Too Late

2011-12-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Kim Jong Il Is Dead — Far Too Late
December 18, 2011 10:23 P.M.
By Jonah Goldberg

He was easily on every sane person’s true short list for “worst person in the world.” And he’s gone. He won’t be missed. He won’t be happy where he’s going. One can only hope — though perhaps not expect — that this will lead to much better times for the North Koreans, the world’s most flagrantly ignored victims of totalitarianism.

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-08T22:36:00.001-07:00

I especially enjoyed Leslie's gift to April.

Britney Spears "Makes it" to 30

2011-12-06T22:11:00.001-07:00

Britney Spears turned 30 recently and many of the commentators on this topic are shocked she's still with us. I can't say I'm all that surprised myself, but still, was it really that unclear that she would make it? Maybe you shouldn't answer that.

I turn 30 next April. If I were famous enough to merit a news article on the occasion my 30th birthday, I wonder what headline and emotion mine will precipitate . . .

Any thoughts on mine or your own mortality here on the cusp of 30?

Retroblogging: November 18, 2003

2011-12-02T01:10:00.001-07:00

And now, from the pages of my journal, an entry from just over eight years ago--November 18, 2003 (names have been shortened to protect the innocent, and additional information has been bracketed for the present reader's convenience). If nothing else, it is a good reminder of former dangers in dating now largely removed by the advent of the personal cell phone:

What a weekend, and two days following! Tonight was the "Christmas Preview" at work [at the BYU Bookstore], which meant that everyone had to work and we all got to dress up too [note the use of sarcasm in this sentence]. We did have a department dinner beforehand [in the back by the big cooler] though. That was good...

This weekend was quite the experience and has brought much laughing to a good portion of the ward. Here's what happened... On Monday night I asked Lauren Y. to go with me to the BYU Singers/Concert Choir show on Saturday night. On Friday before volleyball, I decided to call Lauren to confirm and also tell her what time we would be picking her up. [My friend Kip and I were going together as a double date] So, I asked Kip to give me her number. The number he gave me sounded weird, but I dialed it anyway. I asked for Lauren and she acted as if she didn't remember what I was talking about. That was a bit disheartening. But after a minute, she seemed to catch on, and then even invited me over to hang out that night.

After talking with Kip Saturday morning, we adjusted our plans to go eat at Dairy Keen before the concert necessitating picking the girls up at 5:30 instead of at 7 [like we had previously planned]. Lauren wasn't home when I went over to her house, but her roommate said she might be at work (at University Mall). As it turned out, we were going to Melissa's house in Orem to watch the BYU-Notre Dame football game on her parents' big-screen TV, and someone in the group had free Chick-fil-a sandwich coupons for everyone. So, we all went to the mall [to get our free food]. I took the opportunity to run through the mall to find out where Lauren worked and when I found her, I set up the [revised] plans for that night.

Kip and I (with all-red Don), October 2003.

After the game (which we lost), Kip and I got back to the apartment right at 5:30 due to the necessity of filling a prescription I had. So, we both decided to call our dates to tell them we were running late. Kip called his date Carrie, and then he handed the phone to me.

I again asked Kip for Lauren's phone number and again thought the number sounded weird. It was even weirder when I called and the girl who answered told me Lauren was still in the shower because she thought [our date] was still at 7pm. Well, I told the girl we would be by at 6pm to pick her up then, if she was that late, so we could still grab dinner. I thought it quite strange that just several hours earlier I had talked to her and told her 5:30 ... Just as we were thinking, the phone rang. It was Courtney. "What did she want?" She told me that Lauren would not be able to be ready by 6pm. At this point I freaked out, then Kip freaked out, and we freaked out together.

Well, feeling totally stupid we finally figured out what happened. I had been calling that apartment each time I had used the phone [a different apartment, where a friend of ours lived, also named Lauren. Kip thought I was asking for a different girl's phone number than the one I was actually asking for]. That is why "Lauren" never knew what I was talking about. I had been talking to two different Laurens--Lauren Y. in person [who I actually made plans with], and Lauren T. over the phone [who, as a friend, was trying to be nice--thinking she had forgot we had planned to do something, so she just played along when I called]! That was what caused all of the confusion.

After explaining the whole thing to Courtney [Lauren T.'s roommate], she laughed at me for a good five minutes, at which point she finally handed the phone to Lauren and she also laughed at me. After the explanations and apologies, I finally called the right Lauren, and she was ready to go.

The date was fun after that, and much less eventful. We drove to Heber City and went to the Dairy Keen, then drove back and went to the performance [on campus]. Following the show ... we went over to Lauren's house and watched About a Boy. ...

Needless to say, Courtney had made sure that, by the time we went to church on Sunday, there wasn't a soul who hadn't heard my story of mistaken identity.

Social insecurity

2011-12-02T00:54:00.001-07:00

Sober

2011-11-30T02:40:00.001-07:00

So, as I was trolling the YouTube tonight, I happened across this gem from my favorite gal, Kelly Clarkson. It's an acoustic performance of one of my favorite Kelly songs from my favorite Kelly album, "My December." In honor of it being almost December, here's "Sober." Enjoy!

Donate to Treasury?

2011-11-17T01:31:00.001-07:00

This made me chuckle.

From the Daily Caller website:

Two dozen “patriotic millionaires” traveled to the nation’s capital on Wednesday to demand that Congress raise taxes on wealthy Americans.

The Daily Caller attended their press conference with an iPad, which displayed the Treasury Department’s donation page, to find out if any of the “patriotic millionaires” were willing to put their money where their mouth is.

Low Brow Eyebrow

2011-11-15T00:34:00.001-07:00

So today, as I was shaving (yes, it does happen occasionally), I noticed that some of my eyebrow hairs were longer than some of the others, which I do on occasion. Trying to remedy the situation, I tried to implement a strategic strike on the offending hairs. Unfortunately, today it didn't work out according to plan.

Hopefully it will work out better next time.

Civic duty

2011-11-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

The plan was to write a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining post today about my day at the courthouse for jury duty. However, nothing really happened. I called last night after work, hoping my group had been excused--no such luck. Today I called again at 11:00am, again hoping I'd been excused. Again, no luck. So at 12:30 I drove to downtown Phoenix. My timing couldn't have been better. I parked my car in the parking garage and walked outside just as the rest of the jurors were lining up to get on the bus.

A two-block bus ride later we arrived at the county courthouse downtown. I suppose such a service would be useful in the summer, but today it was a beautiful 70 degrees. We made our way through the metal detectors and security and into the winding corridors of the courthouse to the juror room. We got into another line--this one to check-in.

After filling out another form and pinning on our juror badge, we then sat down and waited. Two jury groups were called while I sat in the room and made polite chit-chat with another good citizen who hasn't figured out how to avoid jury duty. One woman from my bus group was called into a group of 40 that was sent to one of the court rooms as potential jurors. Again we waited not knowing for sure how long we would be there and if we would end up on a jury.

I think it was all of 15 minutes later when the ladies in charge told us we had done our duty and could go home. They gave each of us a certificate proving that we had had this experience and excused us. My whole court experience from the parking garage to being excused took just under 45 minutes. It took longer to drive there and back than I was actually in the courthouse. All things considered I fell quite fortunate things worked out as they did instead of the alternative--being paid $12 a day plus a gas per diem to judge someone. Maybe another time ... At least 18 months from now!

It was such a nice day I walked to the garage instead of waiting for the bus and treated myself to a Cafe Rio man salad for behaving as well as I did through the whole experience.

Recall

2011-11-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

So today was the day of the big recall election of Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce. Pearce was the primary force behind SB 1070 (I've blogged about this before here, here and here), which is now being fought by the Justice Department in Federal Court. Beyond SB 1070, he has been "dogged by disclosures that he accepted numerous free trips from the Fiesta Bowl to out-of-state college football trips." Pearce has also come under fire lately from teachers and schools because, while balancing Arizona's budget, he drastically cut the state's education budget. This election has been an especially contentious one because Pearce lives in my LDS stake. Running against him was a guy named Jerry Lewis (not the same guy as the one that does the MDA stuff). He too is LDS and used to be an institute teacher at the local community college and currently is on the board of a charter school. He has no prior experience in elected office, so it is nearly impossible to know how he will vote on future issues beyond relying on his campaign platform.

It has been interesting to see how members of my ward, who come from all over the stake, viewed the election. Throughout the mile-by-mile-and-a-half area of the stake you can easily see Lewis or Pearce signs on every lawn. Some even had both! I have heard multiple accounts of people removing signs from their yard to preserve friendships and keep the peace within wards. Others reported signs being purloined from their yards during the night.

Pearce has tried to frame the election by saying that it's not about him or his positions, it's about the usurpation of the rule of law by trying to remove an elected official before his term ends. Whether you support Pearce or not, this argument has never made sense to me because the recall has been a part of the Arizona Constitution since 1912 (the recall of judges even led to New Mexico being admitted into the Union before Arizona because then-President Taft, a former judge (and future Supreme Court Justice), did not like the idea of citizens being able to recall judges). Of course the election is about him--he's the one being recalled!

Beyond this PR problem, Pearce has also played some dirty political tricks in his attempt to stay in office. Relatives and supporters of his apparently convinced a woman, Olivia Cortes, to run for the seat solely to siphon votes from Lewis by those looking to vote for anyone who wasn't Pearce. She dropped out of the race when she could not explain who paid for her filing fee, campaign posters, etc. Then, during a meeting of Mesa Republicans, after kicking news cameras out of the room, he told the audience of mostly Latter-day Saints that the Church supported his hard-line stance on immigration.

Why he did this I cannot understand, because the whole thing was captured by camera phones (as these things always are) and a quick internet search will disprove his statement (as will a call from a news station to church headquarters apparently).

When I first heard about the recall election I assumed it was only a formality because Pearce has the deep pockets and connections traditionally associated with untouchable incumbent officials. "Pearce outspent his 54-year-old challenger by more than a 3-1 ratio," which was quickly apparent if you counted how many Pearce signs there were on major roads vs. the number of Lewis signs. However, in recent weeks, the election seemed to fall out of Pearce's grasp.

Going in to vote today, I was struck by how odd the ballot looked with only one contest on it. It made voting incredibly quick and easy though. One the one hand you have a seasoned politician with a proven conservative record and large base of support, and on the other a political novice. The results are now in and Jerry Lewis has won the election. No I will not tell you how I voted, I just thought this whole situation was interesting and it will be even more interesting to see how the Stake reacts moving forward.

Tomorrow--jury duty. Stay tuned . . .

Monday night's the night for a party

2011-11-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, October 31, The Home Evening and Activities Committees in my ward collaborated on the Ward Halloween Party. I can now say it was a smashing success! Our rep/actual planner Jodi Blanch did an amazing job putting it all together. Here's just a small selection of the amazing costumes on display last night.

Before I show any party shots though, first check out how cute my niece looked as the Little Mermaid:

From 2011

OK, now on with the party shots:

Our Bishop and his wife came as The Situation and Snooki respectively from The Jersey Shore:

From 2011

Some zombies:

From 2011

Just your classic donut-on-a-string eating contest:

From 2011

Ashley Tucker, our donut eating champion . . . and yes, I went as the Flash for the sixth time in my life.

From 2011

Kristen Sabin, far right, had my favorite costume of the night:

From 2011

Some superheroes. No big deal.

From 2011

And again, a big thanks to Jodi, who made the night possible!

From 2011

The Economist Concurs: Mormons are Christians

2011-10-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

"Mormons are Christians" Read the story at The Economist. (links are from original site)

Oct 26th 2011, 1:46pm by E.G. | AUSTIN

WITH regard to Mitt Romney's presidential prospects, I agree with Jeffrey Goldberg that his Mormonism shouldn't matter and that the question of whether Mormons are Christians probably isn't all that important. The people who would vote against Mr Romney because of his religion aren't likely to set aside all of their objections to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just because a theologian decided it was kosher. It is, however, an interesting analytical question. I disagree with Mr Goldberg's conclusion that Mormonism isn't Christian:

Today’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn’t resemble a cult in any meaningful way. But its relationship to Christianity is similar to Christianity’s relationship to Judaism.

Christianity grew from Judaism, but it soon distanced itself in fairly dispositive ways (that whole business about God having a son, for example). Mormonism reached escape velocity from Christianity virtually at the moment of its creation. Richard Land, a leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, told me that in his view, most Mormons are “socially and culturally Christian,” but theologically they are a thing apart.

It's always been my understanding the necessary and sufficient condition of being a Christian is that you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour. (Romans 10:9: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.") Many people cite an additional criterion, that Christians must be baptised. (Mark 16:16 quotes Jesus saying the following, post-resurrection: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.") But that has been debated for centuries and most Christians will allow at least some exceptions. Beyond that, most Christians have additional beliefs and the denominations may set their own standards for membership, as indeed Mormons do. But under the standard given above, Mormons are clearly Christians.

It may be that the definitional standard given above isn't the appropriate one; that's another question we can debate over the next few centuries. At the moment, however, I don't find any of the arguments about why Mormons aren't Christians hugely convincing. The evangelical Michael Cromartie tells Mr Goldberg that one problem with Mormons is that they insist on "an extra-biblical addition to the agreed-upon canon" (that is, the Book of Mormon). But there are undisputed Christians who believe in the Gnostic gospels, which are also not part of the canon; there are also Christians who dispute the literal truth of the Bible, and so on. Richard J. Mouw of the Fuller Theological Seminary says that the key issue is Mormons say that God and man are part of the same species, apparently a reference to the Mormon belief that God has a body ("He has a body that looks like ours, but God’s body is immortal, perfected, and has a glory that words can’t describe," as the Mormon FAQ puts it.) That's theologically provocative, but given that mainstream Christians hold that Jesus is both human and divine, it's not hard to see how the question might arise. Similarly, some theologians object to the Mormon conception of the trinity as three distinct entities, as opposed to the mainstream view that sees the trinity as (as this LDS site puts it) "united in substance and in person in a way that is incomprehensible by man." Again: theologically provocative, not dispositive.

Perhaps people will come to accept Mormons as Christians over time; Mr Goldberg also reports that Mr Mouw reckons that "many Mormons are moving toward more Christ-centered modes of worship." But the idea that Mormons are becoming more Christian seems to contradict the argument that Mormons aren't Christian to start with. And the overarching objection seems to be that Mormons are "outside the Christian denominational mainstream," as Mr Goldberg puts it. Well, so? At one point people would have said that about Protestants, and they would have been wrong then, too. It's reasonable for Americans to ask about Mormonism's history, policies, and theology, particularly because it's a relatively young religion and an evolving one; here, for example, is a 1973 essay from the Mormon writer Eugene England wrestling with his church's ban against blacks ascending to priesthood (which was overturned in 1978). But Mormons have always professed their faith to be Christian, and there is a consensus, I think, that they believe themselves to be so. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the profession of faith should be enough.

Fox News Poll

2011-10-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

While reading about a new poll Fox News released, which found that 76% of people in the country think the country is headed in the wrong direction (read the whole thing here), I spotted this interesting tidbit at the bottom:

Recently President Obama’s teleprompter was stolen along with other equipment in Virginia. The poll asked voters what the president should do now. While 35 percent think he should simply replace the equipment, 27 percent suggest speaking off-the-cuff instead and 11 percent say he should use note cards. One in five think the answer is to stop giving speeches altogether (20 percent).

I have to say I am in deep smit with the 20% mentioned at the end.

Cults, Christianity and Evangelicals

2011-10-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

I could, and perhaps will, write a comprehensive post going into detail about why current slanders about the Church are fallacious, but I will save that for another time. What I will do now is share with you one of my biggest pet peeves--when someone has the audacity to tell you they know more about what you believe than you do. This latest fracas is not the only time someone has tried to tell me I don't believe what I think I do. In Billings, Montana in December 2001, I was talking to a woman about the Church and its beliefs and she proceeded to tell me I was wrong. We don't actually believe what we profess to--instead we believe x, y, and z (x, y, and z being odd tenants I have never heard anywhere before, especially not taught in the scriptures or by modern prophets and apostles). I am sorry, but who is in a better position to know what I believe--a woman (or pastor) who does not know me, who has never set one foot into an LDS Chapel, who has never bothered reading and praying about The Book of Mormon, or me--who has done all of these things and much, much more to truly come to a knowledge of what I do believe to be true. Despite what your pastor, or minister, or guest lecturer may have told you, I do indeed believe in Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and Redeemer. I am not a fluke Mormon either. As the prophet Lehi proclaimed in The Book of Mormon:

... There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. 2 Nephi 2:8

Just like you would not appreciate me telling you what you believe, I would appreciate it if you did not presume to do so to me. Thank you.

Potent Quotables VIII

2011-10-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

‎"The nineteenth-century thinkers who proclaimed that God, as well as the gods, is the product of man's imagination supposed that they were liberating man from an ancient delusion. When they taught that God was dead, they thought that atheism would bring about freedom from myth. But in fact they were only returning to paganism. They were creating a new myth for the origin of the gods: the gods were no longer generated by sea and sky but by man. Declaring the divine throne vacant, they bade man step forward and claim it for himself. But man is never so pitiful as when overcome by vanity and never so vain as when pretending divinity." Dennis Rasmussen, The Lord's Question, 53-4.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.

"President Boyd K. Packer gave an inspired introduction to this subject. Speaking to an audience of Institute students three years ago he said:

The word tolerance does not stand alone. It requires an object and a response to qualify it as a virtue. . . . Tolerance is often demanded but seldom returned. Beware of the word tolerance. It is a very unstable virtue.

"This inspired caution reminds us that for persons who believe in absolute truth, tolerance for behavior is like a two-sided coin. Tolerance or respect is on one side of the coin, but truth is always on the other. You cannot possess or use the coin of tolerance without being conscious of both sides." Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Truth and Tolerance," CES Fireside delivered September 11, 2011.

Apnea, officially

2011-09-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, I have sleep apnea.

Wikipedia describes the effects of sleep apnea thusly (I took the liberty of bolding the effects I have noticed):

Sleep apnea can have numerous effects on cognition in the waking state. Those with sleep apnea have daytime fatigue, impaired reaction time and vision problems which contribute to sleep-deprived driving. Other effects include difficulty with information processing, judgment, and short term memory. These effects can severely interrupt daytime cognition. Behavioral effects also accompany sleep apnea. Behaviors such as decreased vigilance and motivation as well as moodiness and aggressiveness impact both social and occupational status. Many behavioral as well as cognitive effects of sleep apnea can be very dangerous in many occupations especially manual labor and machine operating. Patients may attribute daytime sleepiness to other factors and be unaware that their sleep is interrupted, so that enquiries about their sleep quality fail to provide diagnosis.

And I've got it! Like, for realsies. I'm even getting my very own CPAP machine tomorrow. Seeing my sleep doctor today, I found out that the night of my sleep study (or Polysomnography), I stopped breathing about 28 times every hour. Apparently, that is a bad thing. After the CPAP machine was put to use, it was only twice an hour, which is better. So, hopefully starting tomorrow night, I'll get my first good night's sleep in about 10 years. I cannot remember the last time I was this excited to go to sleep!

Free Fall

2011-09-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

He's spot on with the public education part. The rest is poll numbers.

Conference is Coming . . .

2011-09-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

For those in the ward, get ready for General Conference Jeopardy! next week for Home Evening!

Sleep study

2011-09-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

So a couple of days ago (last Thursday night/Friday morning), I went in to a sleep center for a sleep study so they could try and figure out why after sleeping 16 hours a day I am still tired. How could I not sleep perfectly with all of these wires hooked up?

Unofficially, I probably have sleep apnea. I'll find out for sure this Friday.

Solyndra? McCotter?

2011-09-16T08:11:00.001-07:00

Hey all! It's been a long time. I apologize for being such a slacker here on my blog. Medical issues that I may just blog about later have kept me from keeping up with my everyday life. Sadly, things like blogging, school, not sleeping, etc., have all been neglected. Hopefully that will change soon.

Anyway, on to bigger and better things . . .

1. What is this "Solyndra" that everyone is talking about? Here's a great explanation (be warned, there is some abrasive language. Apologies in advance):

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

2. What’s Keeping Thad McCotter Out of the Debates?

You may have asked yourselves, "Who does Steve support in the Republican primary?" Well, wonder no more--it's Rep. That McCotter. Why haven't you heard of Thad McCotter? Read on . . .

From National Review Online:

The Detroit News asks whether Rep. Thad McCotter of Michigan is any more of a presidential longshot than businessman Herman Cain, former Utah governor John Huntsman, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, and Texas congressman Ron Paul.

Technically, yes.

Having said that, Bloomberg didn’t even include him in their list of candidates in their most recent poll. Nor did CNN. Nor did PPP. Nor did the Washington Post.

Fox News did, and McCotter failed to generate a percentage point. His “peak” may very well have been an August 7 Fox News poll when he hit one percent.

But it is a bit unfair for debate sponsors to use McCotter’s poor poll standing as a reason to exclude him (a five-term congressman and former chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee) and then not include him on their list of candidate options when they conduct those polls.

I’ll note, part of my view on this is based simply on the entertainment value of having the dry humor of McCotter on the debate stage. Come on, organizers. Give him a shot, at least one debate.

Sanger, Eugenics and Planned Parenthood

2011-08-18T18:12:00.001-07:00

I just read the following story on the Daily Caller's website:
Atlanta billboard: Pro-choice civil rights leaders ‘betray’ black community

The story details a new billboard in Atlanta that criticizes pro-choice black leaders for their role in supporting "freedom of choice"--a choice that is currently decimating the black population. They also question the motives of those offering the "planning services" for black women. After allowing Planned Parenthood the opportunity to echo its "family planning agenda" line, the article continues:

Alveda King of Priests for Life, another billboard co-sponsor, remains unconvinced. She says Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood, was a proponent of eugenics.

“It’s outrageous that Margaret Sanger’s Negro Project to control the birth rate of blacks is alive and thriving today because so many black leaders have sold their constituents the lie that abortion is the key to emancipating African-American women,” said King. “Abortion kills babies and hurts women and families. These pro-abortion voices are not the voices of black America.”

If you mention Margaret Sanger or any of the other Progressives/Eugenics proponents (i.e. George Bernard Shaw), you will always have my attention. I find this argument especially salient because reducing undesirable populations such as the American black community is EXACTLY what Sanger wanted to do (Incidentally, early-twentieth century Progressives were some of the most racist people out there. One great example is President Woodrow Wilson. It was Wilson who segregated federal government offices and the military. Additionally, if you need further evidence, his favorite film was Birth of a Nation which chronicles the creation of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War.).*

Despite already having my support, the sponsors of the advertisement then list some shocking numbers about abortions and black mothers. I will not take the time to debate the numbers because I have no idea where they got them from, though you are welcome to read the article and see for yourself.

What I will do is elaborate on something I've written her in the past. I am against abortion, yet am "pro-choice." The problem with those who take on the label of "pro-choice" is that they seem to have forgotten that the choice has already been made--and what they are actually supporting is anti-responsibility. (Note: I obviously am not talking about rape, etc. here.) These women chose to have sex. Then, low and behold, they got pregnant. So now, these "mothers" shift the consequences for their actions away from themselves and onto the unborn child who did nothing to deserve death, and had no choice in the circumstances surrounding his/her physical creation. I am pro-choice, but I am also pro-responsibility. We must take responsibility for what we choose to do. If we as a society continue to pass the buck onto the next person, where does that lead us to? In a society where no one accepts responsibility, are we still a society (If you can't picture such a place, see Part Two, Chapter 7 of Atlas Shrugged)?

*For a great account of the Progressive movement of the early 20th century, I highly recommend Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg.

Potent Quotables VII

2011-07-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

Finally, a celebrity who said something that wasn't ridiculous . . .

GQ: Your new movie is called Friends with Benefits. Ever been in one of those relationships?

Mila Kunis: Oy. I haven't, but I can give you my stance on it: It's like communism—good in theory, in execution it fails. Friends of mine have done it, and it never ends well. Why do people put themselves through that torture?

Read More
GQ, August 2011

This is the Place ... I will be this week

2011-07-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow evening and ending a week later, I will be back in Utah.

Ostensibly, this trip is for a family reunion taking place in Charleston on Friday and Saturday. However, this leaves an obvious space in my schedule to see friends and catch up. If you would like to be part of the magic that will be my trip to Utah, please contact me so we can set something up ASAP. I would love to see any and all of you up in the Beehive State, so let's make it happen! I will be staying in American Fork, so I'll be relatively close to whatever is going on.

Can't wait!

Monsoon!

2011-07-06T00:34:00.002-07:00

As much as I do not want to be one of those people who complains about the weather, I thought this was worth sharing.

Yes all, monsoon season is upon us here in the 4-8-0!

If you look at the photo above, you can see how hazy/dusty the air still was two hours after the storm. For contrast, here's what color my car really is.

If you would like to read more about tonight's crazy dust storm (and see a crazy photo of it), here's a link to a story about it on FoxNews.com

Potent Quotables: Independence Day Edition

2011-07-04T19:26:00.003-07:00

"According to our ancient faith, the just powers of governments are derived from the consent of the governed.”
Abraham Lincoln, Speech at Peoria, October 16, 1854

"We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in."
Thomas Paine, The Crisis no. 4, September 11, 1777

"I am now…on a subject, which fills me with inexpressible concern… But as it has been a kind of destiny, that has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that my undertaking it is designed to answer some good purpose."
George Washington, Letter to Martha Washington

"The law of nature and the law of revelation are both Divine: they flow, though in different channels, from the same adorable source. It is indeed preposterous to separate them from each other."
James Wilson, 1804

"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families."
Benjamin Rush, October 20, 1773

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever."
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia query 18, 1781

"And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need its assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth, that God governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?"
Benjamin Franklin, Motion for Prayers in the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787

"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping GOD in the manner most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship."
John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."
George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, October 3, 1789

"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them."
Thomas Jefferson, Summary View of the Rights of British America, August 1774

"To This End Was I Born"

2011-07-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

A special message for all of my Wardies out there:

Next week (July 10), we will begin our three-week study in Sunday School on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prophet Joseph Smith once declared that all things “which pertain to our religion are only appendages” to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As this subject is so vitally important to our religion and to us each individually, you are encouraged to spend some time in your scripture study during the next three weeks studying and reviewing this vital subject. Please review your favorite scriptures, conference addresses, and other church material that address the Atonement. You are also encouraged to bring a copy of a conference issue of the Ensign (it does not need to be the most current one) or a favorite church manual (i.e. Preach My Gospel, Gospel Principles, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, etc.) to church next week.

7/10 Lesson 25: “Not My Will, But Thine, Be Done” Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46
7/17 Lesson 26: “To This End Was I Born” Matthew 26:47–27:66; Mark 14:43–15:39; Luke 22:47–23:56; John 18–19
7/24 Lesson 27: “He Is Not Here, for He Is Risen” Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21

Thank you, and may the Holy Ghost be with you in your studies.

"Behold there are save two churches only"

2011-07-02T05:30:00.004-07:00

And he [the angel] said unto me: "Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth." 1 Nephi 14:10

Does this story demonstrate how this prophecy will be fulfilled? You be the judge.

Episcopal Church in Maryland to Convert to Catholicism
By Lauren Green

The Rev. Mark Lewis now offers a prayer every Sunday morning that centuries ago would have been considered an homage to the enemy. It's a prayer for the bishop of Rome, the pope and all the Catholic bishops and priests.

Lewis chants, "For Benedict our Pope ... Let us prayer to the Lord."

And the congregation sings its answer, "Lord, have mercy."

The distinctly Roman Catholic offering is the outward sign of an inner spiritual journey. St. Luke's Church in Bladensburg, Md., will become later this year the first American Episcopal Parish to convert to Catholicism, Anglicanism's one-time nemesis.

"What really drew us was the apostolic authority, the oneness of the faith of the people," Lewis said "That's what we really wanted, and I don't think you have that in Anglicanism."

Ironically, what is driving St. Luke's to Roman Catholicism is what split the church in the first place: the issue of authority.

Nearly 500 years ago, Britain’s King Henry VIII broke with Rome in a dispute involving his wish to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his young mistress, Anne Boleyn.
A showdown forced England's clergy to choose sides, with the king demanding to know if the British bishops and Cardinals were more loyal to him or to the Pope.

Lives and heads were literally lost in the ensuing theological and political clash. In its wake, The Church of England was born, with the sitting monarch as its head, a structure still in place today.

The American version, the Episcopal church, was the faith of many of the founding fathers, including President George Washington.

Today, the Episcopal Church, with nearly 1.5 million members, is one of thousands of Christian denominations in the U.S. Its recent conflicts over the ordination of gays and women and the blessing of same-sex unions have caused some congregations to seek more conservative branches.

But that was not an option for St. Luke's. Lewis says he felt that the same problem would persist. There was no authority concerning who would have the final interpretation of scripture over the most controversial issues the church is facing.

"Anglicanism is Anglicanism," Lewis said. "So it doesn't matter if you go to a more conservative group like the Anglican Church in North America or any of the others that are around. It's still the faith of this body here. (It) doesn’t necessarily mean it's the same in Nigeria or Sierra Leone or any other outlet."

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI created a special Ordinariate, a path through which Anglicans could reconcile with Rome and come back to the Roman Catholic flock. In some circles it's been called the religious equivalent of sheep stealing.

The Rev. Scott Hurd, who's assisting Washington's Cardinal Donald Wuerl to create the new Anglican Ordinariate, disagrees with the implication, saying, "This initiative is a response to repeated and insistent requests from Anglican groups. So it's not a matter of stealing sheep. It's more a matter of opening the door for people who have been seeking to come in for some time."

In the last few years, bitter legal battles over property have erupted in the American Episcopal church when conservative congregations sought to leave and be led by more orthodox Anglicans groups. But St. Luke's transition was essentially given a blessing by the Washington Diocese's Bishop John Bryson Chane.

"Christians move from one church to another with far greater frequency than in the past, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as groups," Chane said in a written statement. "I was glad to be able to meet the spiritual needs of the people and priest of St. Luke's in a way that respects the tradition and polity of both of our churches."

Under the terms of the agreement, St. Luke's congregation will have three years to either buy its current building or move elsewhere.

That especially pleases its 100 members, who are mostly West African immigrants like Gloria Deigh, from Sierra Leone.

Deigh is happy to convert, saying, "I like it. To me, it's like going home. That's where the original church was. We are all one."

Parishioner Randy King says for him the conversion brings needed certainty.
"We have a church that doesn't change. We don't have to worry one day or the other what is going to be said from the pulpit."

Over the next few months, members of St. Luke's will attend catechism classes to learn more about the Catholic faith and the its doctrines. Then in October they will be formally confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church--what Lewis calls the return of the prodigal son.

"We drifted away and now we want to come home," he said, "and I am just thankful that we have the opportunity to do so."

It also reminded me of something Paul taught about the leadership of Christ's Church:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Ephesians 4:11-14

I am so thankful to be a member of Christ's true church that is led by a living prophet so that I am not "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine" like these poor Episco-Catholics are.

Democrats are Intolerant? Say it Ain't So!

2011-07-01T23:16:00.004-07:00

Don't assume this post means I am endorsing Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman, Jr. for president, because I'm not, but I found this article interesting. Yet again, it turns out the close-minded crowd tends to vote Democratic, not Republican. This fact shouldn't surprise anyone as before it was a Democratic President who integrated the military, it was a Democratic President who segregated the military (and all federal government workers) in the first place. Also, while it may have happened during primarily-Democratic administrations, Republicans overwhelmingly voted for the Civil Rights Legislation of the 1960s while many Democratic legislators opposed it--just to name a few examples.

Dems More Reluctant to Back Mormon Candidates, Survey Shows
By Judson Berger

Much has been made about whether evangelical Christians could support a Mormon presidential candidate like Mitt Romney in the GOP primary. But a recent Gallup poll shows Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to oppose a Mormon for president.

The survey suggests a candidate like Romney would have at least as tough a time overcoming voter anxiety in a general election as he would in the race for his party's nomination. And, analysts say, the numbers underscore the lingering trouble Mormons are having gaining national and bipartisan acceptance as a product of their concentration in just a handful of states.

"Mormons ... still fall into that kind of category of the other, the unknown," said Laura Olson, a political science professor at Clemson University who has written extensively about the intersection of religion and politics.

According to data from the American Religious Identification Survey, America has more Mormons than either Jews, Muslims or evangelical Christians. They have congregations across the country, even though they're concentrated in Utah and other western states. While it follows that most of the 15 Mormons in Congress are from those states, their tight concentration could be making it harder to appeal to voters beyond the Rockies--particularly Democrats.

The poll showed that 27 percent of Democrats would not be willing to vote for a presidential candidate of their party who happened to be Mormon. Among Republicans, that number was 18 percent.

Olson surmised that one reason Democrats are more reluctant to back a Mormon is because of a perception that they are more socially conservative. After all, the Mormon church caused a firestorm when it joined the battle against gay marriage in California.

Olson also said some of it might be "intolerance." And she pointed to the assumption that voters averse to supporting a Mormon probably don't live in areas where they meet many--the poll didn't break down voter attitudes by state, though it did show, curiously, those in the East slightly more tolerant toward Mormons than Americans in other regions. At the same time, there are no elected Mormons from the Eastern U.S. in Congress.

Regardless, Olson said biases start to fade when people meet or become familiar with members of a particular religion or group. Though there are prominent Mormons in Congress, she said many voters probably don't even realize that lawmakers like Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints flock.

Other prominent Mormon lawmakers include Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Tom Udall, D-N.M.; and Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Most Mormon lawmakers in Congress are Republican. The Gallup poll, though, showed an anti-Mormon bias has remained robust among voters in both parties for decades. Across members of both parties and independents, the fraction of voters who said they would not support a Mormon presidential candidate was 22 percent. In 1967, that number was 17 percent.

The only groups more distrusted by voters are gay or lesbian candidates and atheists--49 percent say they would oppose an atheist for president.

By contrast, the percentage is in the single digits for people who would oppose a candidate because they are black, female, Catholic, Baptist or Jewish.

Allen Hertzke, political science professor at the University of Oklahoma, said suspicions about Mormons have lingered for decades, fueled by perceptions that they are "tight knit" and outside mainstream Christianity.

"It has its roots really in the 19th century going forward, that Mormons were viewed as cultish or cult-like," he said. "They've had to struggle in a sense to establish their legitimacy or acceptability."

Hertzke also disputed the notion that religion would be a big factor in a general election for a Mormon candidate. Pointing to survey results conducted several years ago by Pew Research Center that showed Republican evangelicals highly suspicious of Mormon politicians, Hertzke argued that Romney and Jon Huntsman will continue to have issues in the primaries because of their faith.

Mainstream Mormons also have the misfortune of being historically affiliated with the breakaway Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--whose members infamously practice polygamy. Shows about plural marriage like "Big Love" and "Sister Wives" probably don't help public perception of the Mormon community, even though the LDS church does not condone polygamy and takes great effort to separate itself from the Fundamentalists.

To counter public perceptions, the church last year launched an ad campaign showing Mormons talking about everyday things like surfing and skateboarding.

Olson said that to really break through voter anxiety, Mormon candidates need to do an obvious thing.

"The best way for Mormon politicians in general to get past the bias is for some of them to win," she said.

Now don't assume I believe that the Republican Party is a bastion of openmindedness and tolerance, because it's not--but apparently it's less intolerant than the Democratic Party, despite the stories they like to tell you. Or maybe no one is as tolerant as they'd like you to think they are.

The ERA: A backdoor to same-sex marriage

2011-06-29T03:15:00.004-07:00

Wait, feminists arguing for something while not considering the unintended consequences? Why were judges in states like Massachusetts able to find legal ground to allow same-sex marriage? The ERA. Read on . . .

"Equal Rights Amendment seen as back door to same-sex marriage"
By Alexa Linn Williams

The Democrat-driven Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) revival may be a back door means of legalizing same-sex marriage, some legal experts say. The amendment passed both houses of Congress in 1973, but failed to be ratified by the necessary 38 states; it has been reintroduced each year since.

[Need more background? Click here.]

“It’s a real simple argument,” said long-time ERA opponent Phyllis Schlafly. “ERA would make all federal and state laws sex neutral. If two men show up and say we want a marriage license and [the person] says ‘you’re both men, I’m not giving it to you,’ that would be discriminatory.”

Schlafly said ERA would only apply to laws that are currently not sex-neutral such as marriage and the draft. But it would have no bearing on those such as employment laws, because they are already sex neutral.

Shari Rendall, the Director of Legislation and Public Policy at Concerned Women for America (CWA), agrees with Schafly, adding that she thinks ERA is just a front for a feminist agenda.

“[ERA] is not so much about rights as committing a feminist agenda, an attempt to create a gender neutral community,” Rendall said. One of those feminist agenda items, Rendall said, was the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Opponents argue that, under ERA, equality would not be denied on “account of sex” and therefore it would be illegal to ban two citizens of the same sex from getting married. Although it wouldn’t explicitly allow gay marriage, ERA would prevent it from being excluded because there would no longer be a separate legal definition for “man” and for “woman.”

Though no part of the amendment alludes to anything regarding sexual orientation, if the amendment passes, state or local bans on same-sex marriage could be held as unconstitutional in court, opponents say.

“If they can’t get their agenda through the legislative system, they’ll go to the courts,” Rendall said. “You see that even in court decisions it has been said that banning same sex marriage would be unconstitutional in light of ERA.”

Rendall said many feminist organizations and supporters of the ERA tend to downplay this aspect or even outwardly deny a relation. She added that feminist groups aren’t always forthcoming with potential side effects of their initiatives like this because they don’t always have full support for the entire scope of their projects.

“People generally aren’t there,” Rendall said. “If you look at where the votes are in the states that have same-sex marriage on the ballot — they haven’t won. Even in California where they had same-sex marriage on the ballot [as a ballot initiative], it didn’t pass.”

This article reminded me of something Elder Oaks said in an interview concerning The Church's opposition to the ERA during the Ratification battle of the 1970s and early 1980s:

The Church opposed the ERA because of a prophetic judgment that this would take us in a direction we do not want to go for the law of marriage and divorce. ... It’s terribly difficult to put reasons to revelation, and that’s, I think, why the Church may not have done well in putting reasons to it. I think they didn’t have reasons — they had revelation! ... But I think the truth of the matter is the Church couldn’t put a reason to its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment because it was a prophetic judgment of where that amendment would lead.

Interesting, no?

This is Weird

2011-06-28T16:32:00.002-07:00

Didn't Newsweek used to a news magazine? Check out the cover story for this weeks issue:

Diana at 50: Chilling with the Middletons. Tweeting from Davos. And still the people's princess. If not for that tragic night, what her life might look like now.

I can't decide if it's morbid, creepy or just weird. What is the with this obsession with British royals? One might be silly enough to think it would stop more than a decade after Diana's death. Man am I silly.

Update: I guess I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check this out.

Retroblogging: June 27, 2001

2011-06-27T17:55:00.003-07:00

I actually commented on today's anniversary last year, so for those interested, here's what happened 10 years ago (and 167 years ago) today:

Click here!

From MTC, Mission Home June-July 2001

And now, an excerpt from my journal nine years ago today--June 27, 2002:

At 4:30pm, we got to go to the church for the Nauvoo Temple Dedication Broadcast. It started at 5 and ended just before 7. It was amazing! The Spirit was so incredible. ... It was indescribable how strong the Spirit was. President Monson, Elder Hanks (of the Seventy), Sister Naudald (YW General Presidency), President Packer, Bishop Burton and President Hinckley all spoke. President Hinckley was very emotional as he talked about Thomas Ford (Governor of Illinois) and Joseph Smith, the direction their posterity went and the great blessings of the temples. ...

I am so grateful for a prophet today and for the amazing blessing we receive from having one in our day and for that knowledge. It really makes you sad to realize that most people do not even realize or know that there is a prophet on the earth today. Most did not hear him testify of the resurrected Savior, of the restored gospel, Joseph Smith and the many blessings that come from attending the temple. It really humbles you to know that out of the billions of people on the earth, I am one of the few blessed millions who know this. Man, this is the greatest calling you can have . . . it is my calling to share this knowledge with the world, but specifically the people living in Kalispell, Montana.

From Summer Road Trip '09

Incidentally, if you want a great tour of Nauvoo, go on over to my friend Katie's blog (and here too). Not only is it fun and informative, but you'd be hard pressed to find a cuter tour guide.

Also, if you'd like to see some pictures I took while in Nauvoo in 2009, click the link below the picture of the Nauvoo Temple above to see my 2009 Road Trip Album in Picasa.

Mormonism Unveiled!

2011-06-25T01:28:00.001-07:00

I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on the 23rd of December, A.D. 1805. When ten years old, my parents removed to Palmyra, New York, where we resided about four years, and from thence we removed to the town of Manchester. My father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. When about fourteen years of age, I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and upon inquiring [about] the plan of salvation, I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if I went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another to another; each one pointing to his own particular creed as the summum bonum of perfection. Considering that all could not be right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion, I determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a Church it would not be split up into factions, and that if He taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinances, He would not teach another, principles which were diametrically opposed.

Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the declaration of James—‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’ I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord; while fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon day. They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as His Church and kingdom: and I was expressly commanded ‘to go not after them,’ at the same time receiving a promise that the fullness of the Gospel should at some future time be made known unto me.

"For Our God is a Consuming Fire" by Peter Sakievich

On the evening on the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of Scripture, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room, indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the Gospel in all its fullness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the Millennial reign. I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation.

I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto me; I was also told where were deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient Prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands.

These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called ‘Urim and Thummim,’ which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.

"Come Into the Fold of God" by Walter Rane

In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian Era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites, and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent after His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists; the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent, that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions, that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, &c, and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. For a more particular account I would refer to the Book of Mormon, which can be purchased at Nauvoo, or from any of our Traveling Elders.

As soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false reports, misrepresentation and slander flew, as on the wings of the wind, in every direction; the house was frequently beset by mobs and evil designing persons. Several times I was shot at, and very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the plates away from me; but the power and blessing of God attended me, and several began to believe my testimony.

On the 6th of April, 1830, the ‘Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ was first organized in the town of Fayette, Seneca county, state of New York. Some few were called and ordained by the Spirit of revelation and prophecy, and began to preach as the Spirit gave them utterance, and though weak, yet were they strengthened by the power of God, and many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They saw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out, and the sick healed by the laying on of hands. From that time the work rolled forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were soon formed in the states of New York, Pennsylvania[,] Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri; in the last named state a considerable settlement was formed in Jackson county: numbers joined the Church and we were increasing rapidly; we made large purchases of land, our farms teemed with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in our domestic circle, and throughout our neighborhood; but as we could not associate with our neighbors (who were, many of them, of the basest of men, and had fled from the face of civilized society, to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice,) in their midnight revels, their Sabbath breaking, horse racing and gambling; they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute, and finally an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tarred and feathered and whipped many of our brethren, and finally, contrary to law, justice and humanity, drove them from their habitations; who, houseless and homeless, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the children left the tracks of their blood on the prairie. This took place in the month of November, and they had no other covering but the canopy of heaven, in this inclement season of the year; this proceeding was winked at by the government, and although we had warantee deeds for our land, and had violated no law, we could obtain no redress.

There were many sick, who were thus inhumanly driven from their houses, and had to endure all this abuse and to seek homes where they could be found. The result was, that a great many of them being deprived of the comforts of life, and the necessary attendances, died; many children were left orphans, wives, widows and husbands, widowers; our farms were taken possession of by the mob, many thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and hogs were taken, and our household goods, store goods, and printing press and type were broken, taken, or otherwise destroyed.

Many of our brethren removed to Clay county, where they continued until 1836, three years; there was no violence offered, but there were threatenings of violence. But in the summer of 1836 these threatenings began to assume a more serious form, from threats, public meetings were called, resolutions were passed, vengeance and destruction were threatened, and affairs again assumed a fearful attitude, Jackson county was a sufficient precedent, and as the authorities in that county did not interfere they boasted that they would not in this; which on application to the authorities we found to be too true, and after much privation and loss of property, we were again driven from our homes.

We next settled in Caldwell and Daviess counties, where we made large and extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from the power of oppression, by settling in new counties, with very few inhabitants in them; but here we were not allowed to live in peace, but in 1838 we were again attacked by mobs, an exterminating order was issued by Governor Boggs, and under the sanction of law, an organized banditti ranged through the country, robbed us of our cattle, sheep, hogs, &c., many of our people were murdered in cold blood, the chastity of our women was violated, and we were forced to sign away our property at the point of the sword; and after enduring every indignity that could be heaped upon us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders, from twelve to fifteen thousand souls, men[,] women, and children were driven from their own firesides, and from lands to which they had warantee deeds, houseless, friendless, and homeless (in the depths of winter) to wander as exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more genial clime, and among a less barbarous people. Many sickened and died in consequence of the cold and hardships they had to endure; many wives were left widows, and children, orphans, and destitute. It would take more time than is allotted me here to describe the injustice, the wrongs, the murders the bloodshed, the theft, misery and woe that have been caused by the barbarous, inhuman, and lawless proceedings of the state of Missouri.

In the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the state of Illinois in 1839, where we found a hospitable people and a friendly home: a people who were willing to be governed by the principles of law and humanity. We have commenced to build a city called ‘Nauvoo,’ in Hancock county. We number from six to eight thousand here, besides vast numbers in the county around, and in almost every county of the state. We have a city charter granted us, and charter for a Legion, the troops of which now number 1,500. We have also a charter for a University, for an Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, have our own laws and administrators, and possess all the privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy.

Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame, it has spread with increasing rapidity. Proud of the cause which they have espoused, and conscious of our innocence, and of the truth of their system, amidst calumny and reproach, have the Elders of this Church gone forth, and planted the Gospel in almost every state in the Union; it has penetrated our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has caused thousands of our intelligent, noble, and patriotic citizens to obey its divine mandates, and be governed by its sacred truths. It has also spread into England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, where, in the year 1840, a few of our missionaries were sent, and over five thousand joined the Standard of Truth; there are numbers now joining in every land.

Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, Australia, the East Indies, and other places, the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

We believe that the first principle[s] and ordinances of the Gospel are: (1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Repentance; (3) Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; (4) Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, viz: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.

We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.

We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this [the American] continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying[,] honoring, and sustaining the law.

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul, ‘We believe all thing[s], we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Respectfully, &c., JOSEPH SMITH (History of the Church, 4:536–41).

Contextual Factors in the Classroom

2011-06-22T16:14:00.001-07:00

Today's post is otherwise know as What moves the movers?

So, a couple of years ago when I was close to finishing my undergraduate degree at BYU in Secondary Education, as part of my student teaching I was assigned to write a paper on the contextual factors in the classroom that I was then teaching in. On a whim I posted some of it to my blog. Since that time, according to Google, it was been the number one search term that has led people to my blog for several years running. I actually Googled "contextual factors in the classroom" to see how far down the list my blog actually was. Little old me came up THIRD! Sometimes I wonder what people do with my post when they get to it from Google.

How the internet search works

Now, I have not one, but two blog posts with "contextual factors in the classroom" in the title. Admittedly, part of the reason I wrote this post was to mess with the people who may be coming here looking for an easy way out of writing their own papers. See, the way Google works is, that if you want something to be placed at the top of a search, you place the important words (the ones people would be searching for) in the title of the blog and in the address. That's why you always get Wikipedia pages near the top when you search for stuff. As another example--my infamous contextual factors page. The address for the page is http://steviljuice.blogspot.com/2007/04/contextual-factors-from-my-tws.html and the title of the page is "Believe Steve: Contextual Factors from my TWS"--the one-two punch.

Now all of you know how you can mess with the internet too! Have fun!

Retroblogging: June 21, 2002

2011-06-21T02:01:00.003-07:00

The following is my journal entry from nine years ago today. I have not changed anything included herein, but I did omit some items. At the time this was written, I was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kalispell, Montana. Obviously, had I the opportunity to do it over again, the day probably would have gone a bit differently. Life however is a learning experience, so please feel free to learn along with me as we travel back to 2002.

Today I was called the anti-Christ for the first time.

This morning we got up, studied, etc. Then we went out to do good. We walked probably ten miles today. We first stopped by an investigator's house, then visited some less-actives, then walked across town to go tracting. We did not have much success today. We walked, and walked to find a ride home to grab a quick bite before our 2pm appointment. We finally found a ride, ate quickly, then happened across a member who happily gave us a ride to our appointment. . . .

We went to the ward party/dinner at 6:30pm and had Sandy there, as well as Mackenzie and her family, and another investigator stopped by. It was fun. They had a history trivia game, good food, and a water fight at the end. As a member was taking Sandy and us home, we saw a group of people on the corner with scriptures and a guy on a megaphone and wondered who on earth it was. So, my companion and I had our ride drop us off and we walked over to see what was going on. These two random guys from Phoenix were across the street and told us we ought to go over and tell them our "Church of Christ stuff." We asked why and they didn't really say.

So, we crossed the street (it was a somewhat busy intersection) and right when we did this old guy with a Bible and his crony came up and asked us if we need to be baptized. Yes, they wanted to "bash." So, we shared some scriptures, pointed out a fallacy or two and some of their circular logic. By that point the guy on the megaphone and two other cronies had moved in quite close and surrounded us. The first crony said, "uh huh," "yeah," or "that's right" to just about everything the old guy said.

Then, they got into the "you don't believe in the same Jesus as me" thing. After hearing more circular, nonsensical Nicene Creed logic I pointed out that their idea of God is based more on the Greek NeoPlatonite ideas of the Nicene Creed than on the Bible. I also pointed out, as they used Romans, that Romans was written to Christian converts told by the not fully converted Jews that the Law of Moses will save you.

This other guy asked if he will get a planet when he dies--basically just egging us on so they could deny, misconstrue, or ridicule the truth. So after they read something out of Isaiah (out of context) and out of Psalms, I read Psalm 82:6 and explained that God wants us to have all that he has and said I hope I get more than one planet. Then the old guy said, "If you can show me in the scriptures, I will believe you." So, as we were walking away I said, "Let me share one thing: 'An adulterous generation seeketh a sign.'" Yes, we were also called anti-Christs, false prophets, etc.

One last note: I find it interesting that the same people who say we have added to the Bible (cf. Revelation 22:18) are also the ones who carry around Bibles with only the New Testament and Psalms in it. It does say add to or take away. Just because you do not understand something does not make it unimportant.

The Gospel is true. I love the simplicity and peaceful nature. Like my companion pointed out, would Christ really want people standing out on the corner telling everyone why they are wrong? I highly doubt it. God is our Father. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Joseph Smith was the Prophet of the Restoration, and the Restoration was necessary because of the apostasy. Gordon B. Hinckley is the prophet today. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I have no doubt of that.

It was in the high 70s, low 80s today. I got a cool postcard from Anziano Stacey. It appears as though I will be in the market for a bike tomorrow. These past two days have been truly amazing!

Taken shortly after this journal entry was written with the bike purchased on the trip mentioned above, Kalispell, MT, June 2002.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through time as much as I have. It's amazing to see how much I've changed in the last nine years in some things, but am still the same in others.

Zombies!

2011-06-17T10:34:00.001-07:00

Quick post... This made me laugh.

Weiner in His Own Words

2011-06-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just watched this on FoxNews.com. Amazing! My favorite part is the cheering in the background as he announces his resignation.

What is the Sign of Thy Coming?

2011-06-12T22:21:00.002-07:00

For any who are interested, here is the link to the readings handout from today's Sunday School class, "What is the Sign of Thy Coming?"

Lesson 21 Sunday School Readings

It is in PDF format, so you can download it and make as many copies as your heart so desires. Enjoy!

Other items of possible interest:
Scientists Predict More Arizona-Scale Wildfires in Future
"Be Not Afraid, Only Believe," President Gordon B. Hinckley, CES fireside address delivered Sept. 9, 2001
Earthquake Facts & Statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey

Conference 4/11 Redux

2011-06-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I know it's been a while, but I've been so busy not doing other things, that I've hardly had time to not write on my blog. That having been said, I finally got my keester down to Deseret Book on Friday to get the conference issue of the Ensign. Since I do not currently need the subscription, I had to go and get my own copy so I can mark it up, etc.

Best sermon so far that I missed the first time around due to work: Elder Oaks's talk on Desire from the Saturday Afternoon session. In case you missed it too, here it is in it's entirety. (And yes, it is very fitting considering what I wrote above. I do see the irony, don't worry.)

I have chosen to talk about the importance of desire. I hope each of us will search our hearts to determine what we really desire and how we rank our most important desires.

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.

First I speak of some common desires. As mortal beings we have some basic physical needs. Desires to satisfy these needs compel our choices and determine our actions. Three examples will demonstrate how we sometimes override these desires with other desires that we consider more important.

First, food. We have a basic need for food, but for a time that desire can be overridden by a stronger desire to fast.

Second, shelter. As a 12-year-old boy I resisted a desire for shelter because of my greater desire to fulfill a Boy Scout requirement to spend a night in the woods. I was one of several boys who left comfortable tents and found a way to construct a shelter and make a primitive bed from the natural materials we could find.

Third, sleep. Even this basic desire can be temporarily overridden by an even more important desire. As a young soldier in the Utah National Guard, I learned an example of this from a combat-seasoned officer.

In the early months of the Korean War, a Richfield Utah National Guard field artillery battery was called into active service. This battery, commanded by Captain Ray Cox, consisted of about 40 Mormon men. After additional training and reinforcement by reservists from elsewhere, they were sent to Korea, where they experienced some of the fiercest combat of that war. In one battle they had to repel a direct assault by hundreds of enemy infantry, the kind of attack that overran and destroyed other field artillery batteries.

What does this have to do with overcoming the desire for sleep? During one critical night, when enemy infantry had poured through the front lines and into the rear areas occupied by the artillery, the captain had the field telephone lines wired into his tent and ordered his numerous perimeter guards to phone him personally each hour on the hour all night long. This kept the guards awake, but it also meant that Captain Cox had scores of interruptions to his sleep. “How could you do that?” I asked him. His answer shows the power of an overriding desire.

“I knew that if we ever got home, I would be meeting the parents of those boys on the streets in our small town, and I didn’t want to face any of them if their son didn’t make it home because of anything I failed to do as his commander.” 1

What an example of the power of an overriding desire on priorities and on actions! What a powerful example for all of us who are responsible for the welfare of others—parents, Church leaders, and teachers!

As a conclusion to that illustration, early in the morning following his nearly sleepless night, Captain Cox led his men in a counterattack on the enemy infantry. They took over 800 prisoners and suffered only two wounded. Cox was decorated for bravery, and his battery received a Presidential Unit Citation for its extraordinary heroism. And, like Helaman’s stripling warriors (see Alma 57:25–26), they all made it home. 2

The Book of Mormon contains many teachings on the importance of desire.

After many hours of pleading with the Lord, Enos was told that his sins were forgiven. He then “began to feel a desire for the welfare of [his] brethren” (Enos 1:9). He wrote, “And … after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith” (verse 12). Note the three essentials that preceded the promised blessing: desire, labor, and faith.

In his sermon on faith, Alma teaches that faith can begin with “no more than [a] desire to believe” if we will “let this desire work in [us]” (Alma 32:27).

Another great teaching on desire, especially on what should be our ultimate desire, occurs in the experience of the Lamanite king being taught by the missionary Aaron. When Aaron’s teaching caught his interest, the king asked, “What shall I do that I may be born of God” and “have this eternal life?” (Alma 22:15). Aaron replied, “If thou desirest this thing, … if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest” (verse 16).

The king did so and in mighty prayer declared, “I will give away all my sins to know thee … and be saved at the last day” (verse 18). With that commitment and that identification of his ultimate desire, his prayer was answered miraculously.

The prophet Alma had a great desire to cry repentance to all people, but he came to understand that he should not desire the compelling power this would require because, he concluded, “a just God … granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life” (Alma 29:4). Similarly, in modern revelation the Lord declares that He “will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9).

Are we truly prepared to have our Eternal Judge attach this enormous significance to what we really desire?

Many scriptures speak of what we desire in terms of what we seek. “He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken” (D&C 88:83). “Seek ye earnestly the best gifts” (D&C 46:8). “He that diligently seeketh shall find” (1 Nephi 10:19). “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (D&C 88:63).

Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities.

Those whose highest desire is to acquire possessions fall into the trap of materialism. They fail to heed the warning “Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world” (Alma 39:14; see also Jacob 2:18).

Those who desire prominence or power should follow the example of the valiant Captain Moroni, whose service was not “for power” or for the “honor of the world” (Alma 60:36).

How do we develop desires? Few will have the kind of crisis that motivated Aron Ralston, 3 but his experience provides a valuable lesson about developing desires. While Ralston was hiking in a remote canyon in southern Utah, an 800-pound (360 kg) rock shifted suddenly and trapped his right arm. For five lonely days he struggled to free himself. When he was about to give up and accept death, he had a vision of a three-year-old boy running toward him and being scooped up with his left arm. Understanding this as a vision of his future son and an assurance that he could still live, Ralston summoned the courage and took drastic action to save his life before his strength ran out. He broke the two bones in his trapped right arm and then used the knife in his multitool to cut off that arm. He then summoned the strength to hike five miles (8 km) for help. 4 What an example of the power of an overwhelming desire! When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously.

Most of us will never face such an extreme crisis, but all of us face potential traps that will prevent progress toward our eternal destiny. If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress.

We should remember that righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary. They must be heartfelt, unwavering, and permanent. So motivated, we will seek for that condition described by the Prophet Joseph Smith, where we have “overcome the evils of [our lives] and lost every desire for sin.” 5 That is a very personal decision. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said:

“When people are described as ‘having lost their desire for sin,’ it is they, and they only, who deliberately decided to lose those wrong desires by being willing to ‘give away all [their] sins’ in order to know God.”

“Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.” 6

As important as it is to lose every desire for sin, eternal life requires more. To achieve our eternal destiny, we will desire and work for the qualities required to become an eternal being. For example, eternal beings forgive all who have wronged them. They put the welfare of others ahead of themselves. And they love all of God’s children. If this seems too difficult—and surely it is not easy for any of us—then we should begin with a desire for such qualities and call upon our loving Heavenly Father for help with our feelings. The Book of Mormon teaches us that we should “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48).

I close with a final example of a desire that should be paramount for all men and women—those who are currently married and those who are single. All should desire and seriously work to secure a marriage for eternity. Those who already have a temple marriage should do all they can to preserve it. Those who are single should desire a temple marriage and exert priority efforts to obtain it. Youth and young singles should resist the politically correct but eternally false concept that discredits the importance of marrying and having children. 7

Single men, please consider the challenge in this letter written by a single sister. She pleaded for “the righteous daughters of God that are sincerely searching for a worthy helpmeet, yet the men seem to be blinded and confused as to whether or not it is their responsibility to seek out these wonderful, choice daughters of our Heavenly Father and court them and be willing to make and keep sacred covenants in the Lord’s house.” She concluded, “There are many single LDS men here that are happy to go out and have fun, and date and hang out, but have absolutely no desire to ever make any kind of commitment to a woman.” 8

I am sure that some anxiously seeking young men would want me to add that there are some young women whose desires for a worthy marriage and children rank far below their desires for a career or other mortal distinctions. Both men and women need righteous desires that will lead them to eternal life.

Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.

I testify of Jesus Christ, whose love, whose teachings, and whose Atonement make it all possible. I pray that above all else we will desire to become like Him so that one day we can return to His presence to receive the fulness of His joy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes
1. Ray Cox, interview by author, Aug. 1, 1985, Mount Pleasant, Utah, confirming what he told me in Provo, Utah, circa 1953.
2. See Richard C. Roberts, Legacy: The History of the Utah National Guard (2003), 307–14; “Self-Propelled Task Force,” National Guardsman, May 1971, back cover; Miracle at Kapyong: The Story of the 213th (film produced by Southern Utah University, 2002).
3. See Aron Ralston, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (2004).
4. Ralston, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 248.
5. See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 211.
6. Neal A. Maxwell, “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 22, 21.
7. See Julie B. Beck, “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” Ensign, Mar. 2011, 12–17.
8. Letter, Sept. 14, 2006.

It's May, so why isn't it spring in Iowa?

2011-05-24T00:32:00.001-07:00

I start this not knowing what I'm actually going to write about, but it's been a week, and I feel like I should write something. The title comes from an article on the Christian Science Monitor website that came up when I Googled "It's May" hoping I would get something inspirational to write about. I got the title above and its accompanying image below.

Interesting observation of the day: Have you ever used a friend's laptop and had an absolute difficult time writing something on it? The difference between the two keyboards had me flustered to the point where I was having trouble pulling out intelligible lines of prose in an e-mail. Does this happen to anyone else out there?

Other big news: I have an interview tomorrow for a teaching position at a high school down here! Wish me luck. I didn't even technically apply for it. They must have just pulled up a bunch of applications from their district website. Or maybe the "Mr. Williams magic" (I don't think that's a real thing) has been heard of all the way down here. Either way, it is kind of weird going in for a job interview at a school I went to a track meet at as a teenager.

Meanwhile, my bishop (who in another life went to the same ward as my parents) told me that my dad told him to put the full-court press on me to get married. I think what he was really saying was "Help me get this guy out of my house." Good times. At any rate, getting a real, full-time teaching position is a step in the right direction.

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory." ~W. Edwards Deming

The Book of Mormon: An Introduction

2011-05-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a short introduction to what The Book of Mormon is on YouTube. Check it out!

Ron Swanson, a new hero

2011-05-13T10:50:00.001-07:00

My niece

2011-05-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

If she ever comes to visit, just remember . . .

. . . you've been warned.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

Mexicans don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo. White people in the American Southwest who are looking for an excuse to drink and eat nachos do. It always makes me smile a bit, when in a rush to embrace "multiculturalism" white liberals ensure that Cinco de Mayo is recognized in schools, etc.

What is Cinco de Mayo celebrating exactly? Ask the majority of those celebrating it and they might say something about Mexican independence day. Of course, it's probably just the booze talking because that is NOT what the holiday is all about. The purpose of Cinco de Mayo is to commemorate the Mexican army’s decisive victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 . . . long after Mexico was an independent nation (from Spain of course). If every country celebrated the day it defeated the French in a battle, everyone would always be drunk! hahaha

But I digress. According to the Wikipedia article on the subject, the holiday is celebrated by "US Americans ... and citizens of Puebla," Mexico. So basically, at best you have a regional holiday. At worst, a made-up excuse to get drunk and eat nachos.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

That Promised Day

2011-05-05T02:45:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder about the story behind the LDS printing of the KJV Bible? Wonder no more wonderers. Behold, BYUtv made a documentary about it, and they even were so nice as to put it online and make it embeddable so you can watch it here.

BTW, the KJV is 400 years old this year. How crazy is that?

What Really Happened?

2011-05-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

As best as I've been able to determine, here's the most succinct description of events that led to the death of everybody's least favorite S.O.B.:

There's a lot of misinformation floating around about the operation that killed Usama bin Laden on Sunday, so we will set the record straight.

We begin Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 a.m. Pakistan time. Forty Navy SEALs arrived at a housing compound about 30 miles north of Islamabad. The SEALs came from Afghanistan. They were based at Bagram air base. Four helicopters took them in. One of those helicopters was damaged upon landing and later destroyed by the SEALS.

Quickly surrounding the compound, the SEALs were met by gunfire and a firefight ensued. It lasted less than 20 minutes and at 3:50 ET, Usama bin Laden was tentatively identified as one of the five people killed. The maniac had been shot in the face by the SEALs. Bin Laden's body was removed, but the other bodies were not.

The U.S. raiders also took all kinds of information from the compound. They then flew back to Afghanistan. The entire operation lasted about 40 minutes.

It is worth noting that President Obama and his national security team watched the operation in live time from the White House. You can do that now with satellite technology.

Also, the president did not inform the Pakistani authorities that the raid was taking place. That's because Pakistan is not to be trusted. I mean, come on. A million-dollar compound in a poor area with high walls and barbed wire and the Pakistani government doesn't know who lives there? Sure.

The successful "get bin Laden" operation began almost four years ago when CIA agents discovered the name of one of his couriers. Two years later, they located the courier in Pakistan and eventually traced him to the compound. The CIA then began watching the building, which contained dozens of people. In February 2011, President Obama was advised that bin Laden was likely inside the fortress. But the president did not want to bomb it, fearing civilian casualties. And so a SEAL operation unfolded.

The raid was planned for Saturday but bad weather pushed it off to Sunday. It went very smoothly according to intelligence sources. There were no U.S. casualties at all.

Apparently, U.S. forces took photographs of bin Laden's body and then dumped it in the Arabian Sea, officials saying Muslim law requires some kind of burial within 24 hours.

Reaction to bin Laden's death has been interesting. The Taliban is promising revenge, and Hamas has condemned the USA. On the political front, former Pakistani leader, General Pervez Musharraf, says he is outraged by the raid:

American troops coming across the border and taking action in one of our towns that is Abbottabad is not acceptable to the people of Pakistan. It is a violation of our sovereignty. It would have been far better if Pakistani special services group had operated and conducted the mission.

The problem with that, as you well know, General, is that your guys would have tipped off bin Laden like you've done hundreds of other times in the past.

Simply put, the United States has a major problem with Pakistan. It is enabling terrorism and helping the Taliban against NATO forces in Afghanistan. In 2010, the USA sent $3.4 billion to Pakistan. This year another $3 billion is supposed to go over there. Yet President Obama cannot tell -- cannot tell -- Pakistan President Zardari that we are going to launch a raid in his country. That says it all.

Almost. Here's Secretary of State Clinton:

Cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound in which he was hiding.

With all due respect, that's twaddle. Some elements inside Pakistan may be helping us but we simply cannot count on or trust that country. No spin.

The legacy of Usama bin Laden is flat-out evil. The man was a homicidal maniac, responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide. You can just tick off the list: the first World Trade Center attack, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. embassies in Africa, the USS Cole, 9/11, Madrid, London, Bali, and on and on. If there is an afterlife, this guy is in big trouble right now.

Yet he still gets some sympathy in the Muslim world, and that's what I mean when I tell you there is a Muslim problem. A few countries like Saudi Arabia have applauded the U.S. action, but most Muslim countries are silent. If there was not a Muslim problem in the world, every responsible Muslim leader would have called to congratulate President Obama. Would they not? "Talking Points" would like to know exactly how many calls the president has received from Muslim leaders worldwide.

Many Americans are frustrated that it took so long to get bin Laden, but remember: We did not get much help from the Muslim world and that made hunting the terrorist much harder. Apparently, we developed our own intelligence and it took four years to track the guy down, but we got him. And as we said, this is a great day for America.

Going forward, President Obama must confront Pakistan. We can't be sending billions of dollars to these people and having them aid the Taliban. That's insane, almost criminal. Americans are being killed in Afghanistan by Taliban fighters who have sanctuary in Pakistan. No more excuses. Pakistan either joins in the fight against the Taliban or we put them on ice. Yes, there are unintended consequences to doing that. Militant Muslims might overthrow the government, but that's all the more reason for President Zardari to partner up with the USA. Pakistan is a chaotic country, full of jihadists who are pretty much running wild. Is that what Zardari wants when his own wife was assassinated by terrorists?

And then there's always the ultimate: Pakistan does have nuclear weapons.

Here at home, the demise of Usama bin Laden is a major turning point in the war on terror. Al Qaeda has been downgraded severely, at great cost to us, and now its chief villain is gone forever. But there are other villains and they are not going to stop trying to kill us. That is the reality of America in 2011. We have to stay strong, we have to stay smart, and we have to understand that war requires great sacrifice.

We finally won big with bin Laden, but there are other battles to come.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/transcript/bill-oreilly-great-day-usa-not-so-great-pakistan?page=2#ixzz1LQ34uStO

This however, could all change as more information continues to come out about the raid . . . I so much don't care about seeing the photo as I would like to know why information keeps changing.

One More Day

2011-04-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Tomorrow, on the 29th of April, I turn 29. Would it surprise you if I admitted I have no real plans? Of course, we'll go out to dinner as a family that night--probably to Chili's or YC's Mongolian Grill. Then? No idea! hahaha I have never been much for parties and I don't really want to take it upon myself to plan such an event. I did take the day off from work, because, who wants to work at Lowe's on their birthday?

Anyway, that is all. Just thought I'd take a minute to step away from Spanish TV for a minute. And look, how novel to not have any Atlas mentions! And no, I can't actually see the "29" in the image above, but Google image search tells me it's there. Why can't I see it? Well, that's a story for another day.

How to Save Atlas Shrugged Parts Two & Three

2011-04-27T04:12:00.000-07:00

As I stated previously in my review of Atlas Shrugged Part 1, I was only whelmed by the film. Sadly, I think my luke-warm review was one of the best the film got. This saddens me greatly as I wished, and still wish, to see it succeed financially as I absolutely adore the book, and want to see the rest of the series made and, were I to ever meet Dagny Taggart in real life, I would probably propose on the spot. After reading this article, I began to think about what could be done to ensure that parts two and three will be made without it being an undue financial hardship on the producers. So far, in these last several sleepless hours (unrelated cause I promise), I have come up with two possible solutions which I now share with you below:

1. Bring in a new director. A new real director. Yes, I mean of course a director with actual directing credentials (who additionally wasn't also playing a major role in the film). I don't know if I have anyone specific in mind, but if the producers truly want to see part two succeed in the box office, it would be wise to bring in a big name to add much-needed hype, buzz, and anticipation to a production whose cast does not boast any big names. I am sure there is a director or two out there who would be interested in bringing Atlas to life, and perhaps saving the franchise . . . The director of a film can be the make-or-break component of any movie. He can also compensate for any actor weaknesses as well (*cough* *cough* Taylor Schilling).

This change at the helm would not need to cause any delays in future filming. The new director would already have at his disposal all of the actors, sets, design, etc., and therefore would not have to do a lot of pre-production work to get started, other than to scout new filming sites for areas not seen in part one, casting characters new in part two, etc. This fact would also aid in continuity, despite a change in directors. He could jump in immediately and get started now.

Honestly, I would probably be one of the first to point out that many of part one's weaknesses could have been avoided or missed completely had a more competent director been at the helm of the film. Perhaps with that director, he/she could also being in a production staff to assist in the creation of part two (such as editors, etc.).

Changing directors in the middle of a trilogy to improve quality would not be without precedent. Recall Star Wars for example (please excuse the nerdy example, but it's the first one that came to mind). After the so-so directing of George Lucas in Episode Four, they brought in different directors for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with much better results. This example is even more prolific when you consider just how awful the new trilogy of movies was when they reverted back to Lucas's directing (we can save criticism of the scripts for another day).

2. Bring in a completely different cast and crew. While much more drastic than my first solution, this one actually intrigues me more. Have a brand new cast and crew for Part Two, and another brand new cast and crew for Part Three! How awesome would it be to have three different interpretations of the same book done by the same producers? Think about it, you can use the same sets, graphics, etc. for continuity's sake, but allow three different interpretations of the story. Wouldn't it be awesome to see how different directors see the same book? Wouldn't it be fun to see how three separate actresses portray Dagny Taggart without having to remake what has already been done?

Using this strategy, perhaps Part Two could be the "A-list edition" with an A-list director at the helm and big-name actors in the major parts. From past news reports, we know several actresses have expressed an interest in portraying Dagny Taggart. Maybe part two could feature Charlize Theron or Angelina Jolie as Dagny (not my top two choices mind you, but two who had previously expressed interest in the role).

Then, maybe part three could go independent again with yet another set of actors and another production crew. Many would certainly find this strategy intriguing. I know I absolutely would. It would add yet another level of anticipation to the release of the films as there would be the challenge of out-doing the last crew, etc.

This last option does come with some hesitancy on my part as I feel that Grant Bowler did an excellent job in part one with Hank Rearden and I would regret not seeing him reprise the role in the next two installments.

Those then are my suggestions for saving the Atlas franchise. Utilizing either would allow for the continuation of the series without having to wait for someone else to obtain the rights for the film and remaking the first third of the book. What do you think? Ideas for new directors? New casts? Do you have a solution of your own?

Peeps Didn't Start the Fire

2011-04-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Lyrics:

Sarah Palin gave a speech, regulator overreach
Congress passed Obamacare, incumbents had to go

Charlie Sheen bi-winning, Royals add to their team
Hide your kids, Hide your wife, Lohan does some blow

TSA scans everything, Bret Farve texts his wang
Scott Brown, Christine O’Donnell, I am not a witch.

ACORN, NPR, Bieber fever’s gone too far
Christie takes the Jersey Shore, GTL with Sitch

CHORUS
Peep didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
Peep didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

King of Pop laid to rest, Lady Gaga, meat dress
Helen Thomas hates the Jews, Mel Gibson does, too

Barry Bonds grand jury, Roger Clemens perjury
Jacob, Edward both have teams, Chelsea says “I do”

Beer summit, oil spill, passage of a budget bill
Chileans miners see the light, immigration, Blago’s fight

Larry King leaves his show, Ghaddafi refused to go
Bed bugs! Betty White! Michelle controls your appetite!

Read more

Just Because It's Funny

2011-04-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

You go Glen Coco!

Read the Beginning and Get Hooked

2011-04-19T00:34:00.000-07:00

In my wanderings on the internet, I came across this sample of Atlas Shrugged available online. Below you can read the first two chapters (and some intro stuff) and get hooked. Enjoy!

The Morning After

2011-04-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it did happen. I went and saw Atlas Shrugged last night in a sold-out showing.

As planned, a group of us went to see the 6:30pm showing at the theatre mentioned previously in Tempe. I, of course, bought my ticket online the night they were available weeks ago. Unfortunately, my five comrades did not, and we arrived to find a sold out showing at 6:30 and again at 8:50. The 11:10 showing would be too late for the rest of the group, but being the great guy that I am, I still went to the 6:30 show by myself while they graciously agreed to occupy themselves for an hour and a half while I saw the movie. Yes, I am a jerk for going in, despite the rest of the group not getting tickets, but come on, it's opening night of Atlas Shrugged for crying out loud. I mean seriously, was I NOT going to see it with my ticket-in-hand?

After the movie, we all went and ate pita-related food at a place in Mesa down by MCC and then played a round of a Clue-like game. This of course makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that we finished the game around 11:30pm and I had to be at the church today at 5:30am to go to the church welfare farm in Coolidge for a service project. Needless to say, me saying I got five hours of sleep would be a generous over-statement.

So . . . after all of the anticipation and waiting, you're probably wondering what I think of the movie. In a word, it was both amazing and okay. I was absolutely thrilled that I was able to watch as my favorite novel came to life on screen. That being said, it, I think, met my expectations generally. Speaking as someone who is obviously a fan of the book and familiar with the story and characters, it was fun to see some of my favorite scenes from the book portrayed on the big screen. Had I not read the book though, I could not help but wonder if it would be as accessible. The book makes extensive use of inner dialogue and the passage of time to show how events occur and how characters develop and change. Unfortunately, the medium of film does not allow for either very well, especially when you only have an hour and a half to fit in a third of a book consisting of 1,000+ pages. I think that some of the events probably were not explained well enough to a new-comer and the characters were not able to be as fully developed either. All of this is speculation of course and might well be proven false as soon as I hear from a viewer of the film new to the world of Atlas.

My only major gripes were the changes the producers made to the Rearden anniversary party and the prelude to Wyatt's Torch. Also, the total underdevelopment of Robert Stadler and Hugh Akston was tragic. I loved Hank and Lillian Rearden. Both actors were excellent in these roles. Additionally, several of the scenes were absolutely excellent--just as I envisioned them. While I am still not completely sold on Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart, it again was confirmed to me why this previous post is still absolutely true.

All said, I give the film 3 1/2 out of 5 stars and eagerly await the release of Part 2.

Tonight's the Night!

2011-04-15T13:40:00.001-07:00

As Neil Young once said, Tonight's the Night!

If you need directions or want to car pool, feel free to call or text me. My number is listed on my facebook page. Some of us are meeting at 5:30-5:45 at my place to car pool over. Can't wait!

Today's random Atlas Shrugged quote:

Dagny stepped forward, when he came out of the recess; she smiled, openly inviting conversation. He stopped. It seemed to her that he stopped reluctantly. She spoke hastily, to break the silence. "Hank, why do you have so many intellectuals of the looter persuasion here? I wouldn't have them in my house."

This was not what she wanted to say to him. But she did not know what she wanted to say; never before had she felt herself left wordless in his presence.

She saw his eyes narrowing, like a door being closed. "I see no reason why one should not invite them to a party," he answered coldly.

"Oh, I didn't mean to criticize your choice of guests. But . . . Well, I've been trying not to learn which of them is Bertram Scudder. If I do, I'll slap his face." She tried to sound casual. "I don't want to create a scene, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to control myself. I couldn't believe it when somebody told me that Mrs. Rearden had invited him."

"I invited him."

"But . . ." Then her voice dropped. "Why?"

"I don't attach any importance to occasions of this kind."

"I'm sorry, Hank. I didn't know you were so tolerant. I am not."

He said nothing.

"I know you don't like parties. Neither do I. But sometimes I wonder . . . perhaps we're the only ones who were meant to be able to enjoy them."

"I am afraid I have no talent for it."

"Not for this. But do you think any of these people are enjoying it? They're just straining to be more senseless and aimless than usual. To be light and unimportant. . . . You know, I think that only if one feels immensely important can one truly feel light."

"I wouldn't know."

"It's just a thought that disturbs me once in a while . . . I thought it about my first ball. . . . I keep thinking that parties are meant to be celebrations, and celebrations should only be for those who have something to celebrate."

"I have never thought of it."

She could not adapt her words to the rigid formality of his manner, she could not quite believe it. They had always been at ease together in his office. Not he was like a man in a strait jacket.

"Hank, look at it. If you didn't know any of these people, wouldn't it seem beautiful? The lights and the clothes and all the imagination that went to make it possible . . ." She was looking at the room. She did not notice that he had not followed her glance. He was looking down at the shadows on her naked shoulder, the soft, blue shadows made by the lights that fell through the strands of her hair.

"Why have we left it all to fools? It should have been ours."

"In what manner?"

"I don't know . . . I've always expected parties to be exciting and brilliant, like some rare drink." She laughed; there was a note of sadness in it. "But I don't drink, either. That's just another symbol that doesn't mean what it was intended to mean." He was silent. She added, "Perhaps there's something that we have missed."

"I am not aware of it."

In a flash of sudden, desolate emptiness, she was glad that he had not understood or responded, feeling dimly that she had revealed too much, yet not knowing what she had revealed. She shrugged, the movement running through the curve of her shoulder like a faint convulsion. "It's just an odd illusion of mine," she said indifferently. "Just a mood that comes once every year or two. Let me see the latest steel price index and I'll forget all about it."

She did not know his eyes were following her, as she walked away from him.

Atlas Shrugged, 143-144.

6:30pm, Harkins Valley Art, 560 S Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ

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Only Hours Remain!

2011-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's soooo close!

Today's random Atlas Shrugged quote:

He had given Lillian none of his time for months--no, he thought, for years; for the eight years of their marriage. He had no interest to spare for her interests, not even enough to learn just what they were. She had a large circle of friends, and he heard it said that their names represented the heart of the country's culture, but he had never had time to meet them or even to acknowledge their fame by knowing what achievements had earned it. He knew only that he often saw their names on the magazine covers on newsstands.

Atlas Shrugged, 123.

And now, a great--and timely--speech by Rep. McCotter of Michigan on taxation and government spending:

One Day, Nineteen Hours!

2011-04-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

It's so close! Are you as excited as I am?

Today's random Atlas Shrugged Quote:

Dagny's rise among the men who operated Taggart Transcontinental was swift and uncontested. She took positions of responsibility because there was no one else to take them. There were a few rare men of talent around her, but they were becoming rarer every year. Her supervisors, who held the authority, seemed afraid to exercise it, they spent their time avoiding decisions, so she told people what to do, and they did it. At every step of her rise, she did the work long before she was granted the title. It was like advancing through empty rooms. Nobody opposed her, yet nobody approved of her progress.

Her father seemed astonished and proud of her, but he said nothing and there was sadness in his eyes when he looked at her in the office. She was twenty-nine years old when he died. "There has always been a Taggart to run the railroad," was the last thing he said to her. He looked at her with an odd glance: it had the quality of a salute and of compassion, together.

The controlling stock of Taggart Transcontinental was left to James Taggart. He was thirty-four when he became President of the railroad. Dagny had expected the Board of Directors to elect him, but she had never been able to understand why they did it so eagerly. They talked about tradition, the president had always been the eldest son of the Taggart family; they elected James Taggart in the same manner as they refused to walk under a ladder, to propitiate the same kind of fear. They talked about his gift of "making railroads popular," his "good press," his "Washington ability." He seemed unusually skillful at obtaining favors from the Legislature.

Dagny knew nothing about the field of "Washington ability" or what such an ability implied. But it seemed necessary, so she dismissed it with the thought that there were many kinds of work which were offensive, yet necessary, such as cleaning sewers; somebody had to do it, and Jim seemed to like it.

She had never aspired to the presidency: the Operating Department was her only concern. When she went out on the line, old railroad men, who hated Jim, said, "There will always be a Taggart to run the railroad," looking at her as her father had looked. She was armed against Jim by the conviction that he was not smart enough to harm the railroad too much and she would always be able to correct whatever damage he caused.

At sixteen, sitting at her operator's desk, watching the lighted windows of Taggart trains roll past, she had thought she had entered her kind of world. In the years since, she learned she hadn't. The adversary she found herself forced to fight was not worth matching or beating; it was not a superior ability which she would have found honor in challenging; it was ineptitude--a gray spread of cotton that seemed soft and shapeless, that could offer no resistance to anything or anybody, yet managed to be a barrier in her way. She stood, disarmed, before the riddle of what made this possible. She could find no answer.

Atlas Shrugged, 55-56.

Seven Months Late, But Happy Birthday Lily!

2011-04-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

My niece Lily turned one on September 6 of last year. I just got around to editing and uploading the video today. Sorry. Enjoy!

Two Days!

2011-04-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

And here is today's random Atlas Shrugged quote:

"Oh well, who is John Galt?"

Dagny turned brusquely and started away from them. One of the women followed her.

"But I do know it," said the woman, in the soft, mysterious tone of sharing a secret.

"You know what?"

"I know who is John Galt."

"Who?" Dagny asked tensely, stopping.

"I know a man who knew John Galt in person. This man is an old friend of a great-aunt of mine. He was there and he saw it happen. Do you know the legend of Atlantis, Miss Taggart?"

"What?"

"Atlantis."

"Why . . . vaguely."

"The Isles of the Blessed. That is what the Greeks called it, thousands of years ago. They said Atlantis was a place where hero-spirits lived in happiness unknown to the rest of the earth. A place which only the spirits of heroes could enter, and they reached it without dying, because they carried the secret of life within them. Atlantis was lost to mankind, even then. But the Greeks knew that it had existed. They tried to find it. Some of them said it was underground, hidden in the heart of the earth. But most of them said it was an island. A radiant island in the Western Ocean. Perhaps what they were thinking of was America. They never found it. For centuries afterward, men said it was only a legend. They did not believe it, but they never stopped looking for it, because they knew that that was that they had to find."

"What about John Galt?"

"He found it."

Dagny's interest was gone. "Who was he?"

"John Galt was a millionaire, a man of inestimable wealth. He was sailing his yacht one night, in mid-Atlantic, fighting the worst storm ever wreaked upon the world, when he found it. He saw it in the depth, where it had sunk to escape the reach of men. He saw the towers of Atlantis shining on the bottom of the ocean. It was a sight of such kind that when one had seen it, one could no longer wish to look upon the rest of the earth. John Galt sank his ship and went down with his entire crew. They all chose to do it. My friend was the only one who survived."

"How interesting."

"My friend saw it with his own eyes," said the woman, offended. "It happened many years ago. But John Galt's family hushed up the story."

"And what happened to his fortune? I don't recall ever hearing of a Galt fortune."

"It went down with him." She added belligerently, "You don't have to believe it."

"Miss Taggart doesn't," said Francisco d'Anconia. "I do."

Atlas Shrugged, 146-47.

Three Days!

2011-04-11T14:52:00.001-07:00

Today's random Atlas Shrugged quote:

Rearden wondered, for a while, why he heard no word from Wesley Mouch. His calls to Washington remained unanswered. Then he received a letter consisting of one single sentence which informed him that Mr. Mouch was resigning from his employ. Two weeks later, he read in the newspapers that Wesley Mouch had been appointed Assistant Coordinator of the Bureau of Economic Planning and National Resources.

Don't dwell on any of it--thought Rearden, through the silence of many evenings, fighting the sudden access of that new emotion which he did not want to feel--there is an unspeakable evil in the world, you know it, and it's no use dwelling on the details of it. You must work a little harder. Just a little harder. Don't let it win.

Atlas Shrugged, 211.

Who is John Galt?

Four Days!

2011-04-10T17:37:00.001-07:00

Four days everybody! Remember--Friday, 6:30pm showing at the Harkins' Theatre on Mill Ave. in Tempe! Who is John Galt?

In other movie news, I saw Hanna last night. You need to see this movie like you need to eat at White Castle. Yes, it was that good!

And while it may be the first movie about Rapunzel I have ever seen, Tangled is definitely the best movie I've ever seen about her. I just have to ask the question--why were her eyes so darn big?

Finally, here's today's random quote from Atlas Shrugged:

"Dagny, the whole world's in a terrible state right now. I don't know what's wrong with it, but something's very wrong. Men have to get together and find a way out, But who's to decide which way to take, unless it's the majority? I guess that's the only fair method of deciding. I don't see any other. I suppose somebody's got to be sacrificed. If it turned out to be me, I have no right to complain. The right's on their side. Men have to get together."

She made an effort to speak calmly; she was trembling with anger. "If that's the price of getting together, then I'll be damned if I want to live on the same earth with any human beings! If the rest of them can survive only by destroying us, then why should we wish them to survive? Nothing can make self-immolation proper. Nothing can give them the right to turn men into sacrificial animals. Nothing can make it moral to destroy the best. One can't be punished for being good. One can't be penalized for ability. If that is right, then we'd better start slaughtering one another, because there isn't any right at all in the world!"

He did not answer. He looked at her helplessly.

"If it's that kind of world, how can we live in it?" she asked.

Atlas Shrugged, page 79.

And some humor to end on . . .

Eight days!

2011-04-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

We're down to single digits people! Who is John Galt? If you're interested, I have created an event on the facebook for April 15th. If you can make it (and being in the state is a big bonus for that), we're going to Tempe to watch Atlas Shrugged at the Harkins Theatre on Mill Ave. If you're interested, click here. I would love to get that place sold out, so we can make sure they make the second two parts. Yes, I know selling out one show is a long way from guaranteeing a movie's commercial success, but humor me. As a bonus, can you think of any better way to protest tax day than by watching a film that disparages the income tax?

And now, to whet your whistle a bit more, here is today's Atlas screen clip:

American Exceptionalism Renewed?

2011-04-05T01:23:00.000-07:00

From The Daily Gut, by Greg Gutfeld

So many are surprised that President Obama would bomb Libya.

And now, he's authorized covert operations.

How odd!

How Bush!

Wasn't O the anti-war, "we're sorry for everything" President, the man who condemned any kind of American mililtary intervention?

Well, here's how it all changed.

A couple of years ago Obama said that he believed in American exceptionalism, just as the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism, and the British believe in British exceptionalism.

In other words, he didn't believe it. That's when it all fell apart.

Soon, Obama started repeating, "the world is watching," whenever bad crap started happening. Like in Iran.

He was right. The world watched.

And did nothing.

He then discovered that the world is just like the perverted priest in "Crimes of Passion:" all it does IS watch.

So Obama learned that exceptionalism is real: the world goes limp without America at the lead. To reject this is like being a star player who prefers to ride the bench, texting his bracket picks.

see, "the world is watching," means nothing if "America ain't doing." And "doing" often means "bombing." The "kinetic action" in Libya reminds the world that Americans can do this stuff. When the world forgets that, bad stuff happens.

Which means, sadly, we are the world's policeman, because we are exceptional, we are the best.

So why not embrace this notion, instead of fighting it?

The world may hate us, but that's because, we're beautiful.

or at least I am.

and if you disagree with me. you're a racist homophobe.

Why my firstborn daughter will be Dagny Taggart's namesake

2011-03-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

"Well, it's like this, Miss Taggart," said the delegate of the Union of Locomotive Engineers. "I don't think we're going to allow you to run that train."

Dagny sat at her battered desk, against the blotched wall of her office. She said, without moving, "Get out of here."

It was a sentence the man had never heard in the polished offices of railroad executives. He looked bewildered. "I came to tell you--"

"If you have anything to say to me, start over again."

"What?"

"Don't tell me what you're going to allow me to do."

"Well, I meant we're not going to allow our men to run your train."

"That's different."

"Well, that's what we've decided."

"Who's decided it?"

"The committee. What you're doing is a violation of human rights. You can't force men to go out and get killed--when that bridge collapses just to make money for you."

She searched for a sheet of blank paper and handed it to him. "Put it down in writing," she said,"and we'll sign a contract to that effect."

"What contract?"

"That no member of your union will ever be employed to run an engine on the John Galt Line."

"Why . . . wait a minute . . . I haven't said--" . . .
Atlas Shrugged, p. 216-217

14 Days!

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration

2011-03-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

Want to see the new film about Joseph Smith, but don't have time to get to a visitor's center? No problem! Watch it here!

April 15!

2011-03-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! Atlas Shrugged will be showing at Harkins Valley Art 509 S Mill Ave in Tempe, AZ! Who's coming with me opening day (4/15)?!?

18 Days!

Busy afternoon

2011-03-24T21:24:00.003-07:00

Well, the day started off pretty slow, then it hit 4pm.

First, BYU played a good game, but just couldn't come up with it in overtime. Nonetheless, great season Cougars. This was the first time since 1981 that BYU has made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Thank you for the fun ride this season, and I am sure Jimmer has a great career ahead of him in the NBA.

Just after the game ended, my brother Sam had his choir concert. He scored the big solo during one of the songs. Here it is (yes, it's amazing):

How he and I can be related and have such "diverse" musical skills is beyond me. Isn't genetics weird? I should probably also mention that he's only 14 years old (8th grade)!

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting on those Golden Birthday suggestions. Please feel free to leave them as a comment on this or the previous post. Oh, and with BYU's loss and Arizona's win, my bracket is shot.

Believe Steve

Monday Mormon: Julie T.

Scripture Sunday VII

Potent Quotables XV

Ward Scavenger Hunt

Monday Mormon: Emily P.

Scripture Sunday VI

Retroblogging: Monday, January 10, 2005

Potent Quotables XIV

Potent Quotables XIII

Monday Mormon: Andrew S.

Scripture Sunday V

Potent Quotables XII

I Am a Child of God

Monday Mormon: Jessica G.

You throw out the baby and keep the bath water

Scripture Sunday IV

Potent Quotables XI

Awkward TV

Monday Mormon: Stacie L.

Scripture Sunday III

Retroblogging: Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Two Hats

Potent Quotables X

The Tree of Life

Monday Mormon: Jeff S.

Scripture Sunday II

Potent Quotables IX

A Book of Mormon Story, updated

Monday Mormon: Steve W.

Scripture Sunday I

New Year, New Blog Features

"Economic Justice," part two

"Economic Justice"? *Updated*

Fourth Best President!

Lily and the Puppets

Far Too Late

Christmas is coming!

Britney Spears "Makes it" to 30

Retroblogging: November 18, 2003

Social insecurity

Sober

Donate to Treasury?

Low Brow Eyebrow

Civic duty

Recall

Monday night's the night for a party

The Economist Concurs: Mormons are Christians

Fox News Poll

Cults, Christianity and Evangelicals

Potent Quotables VIII

Apnea, officially

Free Fall

Conference is Coming . . .

Sleep study

Solyndra? McCotter?

Sanger, Eugenics and Planned Parenthood

Potent Quotables VII

This is the Place ... I will be this week

Monsoon!

Potent Quotables: Independence Day Edition

"To This End Was I Born"

"Behold there are save two churches only"

Democrats are Intolerant? Say it Ain't So!

The ERA: A backdoor to same-sex marriage

This is Weird

Retroblogging: June 27, 2001

Mormonism Unveiled!

Contextual Factors in the Classroom

Retroblogging: June 21, 2002

Zombies!

Weiner in His Own Words

What is the Sign of Thy Coming?

Conference 4/11 Redux

It's May, so why isn't it spring in Iowa?

The Book of Mormon: An Introduction

Ron Swanson, a new hero

My niece

Cinco de Mayo

That Promised Day

"Economic Justice"? Updated