Fear Not, Doubt Not

My views on Current Politics and Religion

My thoughts today are on politics and religion; the two topics that you should never post about fearing that you will offend someone. If you will be offended by either politics or religion you might not want to read on. Hopefully you will read on and add your comments to the discussion.

I used to joke that I wanted to make a bumper sticker that read “Mormons for Hillary – Bring on the Millennium Now!” Now with Trump being the presumptive Republican nominee some Utahan’s are saying they would rather vote for Hillary than Trump so the state of Utah, one of the most Republican states in the U.S., might vote for a democrat for the first time since 1964.

Why are so many lifelong republicans willing to cross party lines and vote for a democrat? Because they can’t bring themselves to vote for Donald Trump. They see him as a spoiled child that if he doesn’t get his way he takes his ball and goes home. Not only goes home, but then demeans, cries foul and throws a temper tantrum until the veins in his face almost burst. His insults and condescending attitude are repulsive to many.

His supporters feel that because he is not a career politian and does not take money from special interests that no one can buy him. They like that he stands up to those who disagree with him, they like him because he is a businessman and knows how to fix things that are not running well or making a profit.

What do I think? I do think he is a great businessman and that experience would be beneficial to our government. I think he is an actor. He knows how and what to say to give him the headlines. Why pay for advertising when the newspapers and reporters will give it to him for free if he just stirs the pot a little – well maybe a lot. I think having Trump as the president would be like taking the school bully and making him the poster boy for the anti-bully campaign because he has experienced bullying.

I have often said that I would be willing to vote for a democrat if that person agreed with my philosophy on the purpose of our government, that they are willing to follow God’s commandments and promote laws that promote Christian values, and honor and uphold the constitution as our founding fathers established it. The only problem is I have never found a democrat that has these values and we certainly don’t have one in Hillary Clinton.

Secretary Clinton has lied so many times that she does not know when she is ling. Her involvement in the Bengasi tragedy, the email scandal, the list goes on and on. I truly believe that if she were anyone else she would have been arrested and put in prison. I cannot see any good coming from her being President of the United States. The rest of the world leaders would have less respect for her than they do for our current president.

One of my sons asked who I would vote for if it came down to a choice between Clinton and Trump? I responded that I would vote for Trump because there is no way I would ever vote for Clinton. He said what about the other party candidates? I responded that I could not vote for a third party candidate because that would be splitting the Republican vote and assure a Clinton victory. He reminded me of what President Ezra Taft Benson supposedly said about voting for the lesser of two evils:

If you vote for the lesser of two evils you are still voting for evil and you will be judged for it. You should always vote for the best possible candidate, whether they have a chance of winning or not, and then, even if the worst possible candidate wins, the Lord will bless our country more because more people were willing to stand up for what is right.

That made me think about my last statement. Does my vote matter if I am only casting it for the person I think can win even if that candidate does not agree with my principles? Maybe I should not vote at all – as a protest against the lack of decent candidates? The scriptures tell us that we are to seek for honest and wise men to govern us (D&C 98:10).

I believe that the Constitution of the United States was and still is an inspired document. God, our Heavenly Father, raised up those men to do that work and establish this country and we have a responsibility to support and sustain that inspired document. (see D&C 101:80)

Elder Bryan R. Larsen, our Area Seventy, spoke in our married student ward today. He said that President Dieter F. Uchtodorf, in the April General Authority training made the statement that we did not need to fear about politics and the coming election, he said: “the Lord has a plan and that plan will be carried out no matter what happens in the next election.” What a comforting thought. The politicians will continue to promote their agendas and sin and wickedness may reign for a time but in the end the Lord will prevail and righteousness will win. In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord promised:

Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.

Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sinno more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen. (D&C 6:33-37)

That is our answer. We must not fear or doubt that if we trying to do good, to keep the commandments we will be blessed and the Lord will prevail. In the end it really does not matter who the president is of the U.S. or any other country. We are to choose God and look for those that do the same to lead us. If that does not happen then the Lord will be victorious and we shall be blessed for our righteous efforts.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

What I Learned from Joseph Smith’s First Vision

Tonight (Sunday, May 1^st, 2016) Elder Richard J. Maynes, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke to the young adults of the church in a CES Worldwide Devotional. He spoke of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith and focused on the First Vision that Joseph had when he was 14 years old. At the end of the fireside he asked those who were listening to share their answers to two questions at #LDSdevo:

1. What truths have you learned from Joseph Smith’s First Vision?
2. How has the Lord answered you as you have sought for truth and answers to questions you have had?

Before answering those questions, I would like to give you some of my background in the LDS Church. My parents joined the church before I was born. My two older brothers were very young when they joined and my mother was pregnant with me when they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to Indiana after my father graduated with his teaching degree when I was two years old. We lived 30 miles from the nearest LDS Church and would attend fairly regularly. In those days the church had Sunday School and Priesthood meetings in the morning on Sunday and you would go back later in the day for Sacrament meeting. Primary, Mutual and Relief Society meetings were help during the week. From what I recall we mainly went to Sunday School on Sunday mornings and rarely went to Sacrament meetings. We never attended any of the week day meetings. We were the only members of the LDS church in our town and so I had no friends that were members. I was baptized when I was eighty years old but shortly after my parents stopped traveling the 30 miles to church and we started going to the Methodist Church that was next door to our home.

For the next ten years we attended the Methodist Church with my friends and classmates. We went to bible study classes in the summer and as a teenager attended their youth meetings. Even though I had very little knowledge of LDS Doctrine and beliefs, I did not understand or believe many of the teaching of the Methodist Church, especially the doctrine of the Trinity. It just did not seem right. I knew in my heart that God and Christ were more than just beings that did not have bodies and filled the universe. These teachings made no sense to me. Evidently the LDS teachings did manage to sink into my heart that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ was resurrected with a physical body just like His Father.

I remember one Sunday when our youth group had someone come speak to us. He talked of the importance of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and developing a relationship with him. That night when I went home his challenge to ask Christ for his forgiveness and to accept him as my Savior made me want more. I remember praying and asking God for forgiveness and to know if I could be forgiven. I remember the warm feeling that came over me, I know my prayer was answered and that God was real and His Son, Jesus Christ, died for me and had forgiven me of my sins. Later when I became active again in the LDS Church (an even longer story for another time) I realized that the experiences I had as a youth attending the Methodist Church was because I had been baptized when I was eight and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. I was able to recognize the truth when it was taught and I could recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost to pray to know God and Jesus.

So with that background in mind hopefully you will understand my answers to Elder Maynes’ questions. First “What truths have I learned from Joseph Smith’s First Vision?

1. That God is our Father and that he is waiting for us to ask him which of all the churches on the earth is his church.
2. That Jesus Christ lives today as a separate being from God the Father.
3. That reading the scriptures and praying to understand their meaning and purpose for us will lead us to the truth and a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
4. hat Heavenly Father is no respecter of persons. If he was willing to answer the honest pray of a fourteen-year-old boy, he will answer our prayers and let us know what we need to do to develop a personal relationship with him.
5. That if we go to God in sincere prayer, we can know if we are forgiven of our sins or what we need to do to be forgiven. 

The Second question that Elder Maynes asked was “How has the Lord answered me as I have sought for truth and answers to questions I have had?”

1. This first answer is not so much of how he answered me but how the answer came. I have learned that there are wonderful God loving people in all churches and God loves them. We can be brought close to Heavenly Father and our Savior by learning truth and following it no matter who teaches it.
2. Just like the Prophet Joseph Smith wanted to know which church was true, I have asked the same question. Though my answer was not like Joseph Smith’s by a visit from God and Christ, I have felt the Holy Ghost witness to me that we have a loving Heavenly Father, that we are his children, and we are here to prove our worthiness to live with him after we leave this mortal existence.
3. The Lord has answered my prayers to know what he wants me to do, where he wants me to be, and how best to serve by putting the people in my life that have blessed me, or that needed me or my influence, or that have influenced me to know what I needed to do.
4. As I have prayed to know if I can be forgiven for my sins I have come to know the love that our Savior Jesus Christ has for me personally. I have come to know that he suffered for me personally. I know that atonement is a personal experience, not a group thing.
5. As a Bishop, I have seen how the atonement has changed the lives of the members in my ward that have confessed their sins and have been born again and become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and “putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ” (Mosiah 3:19).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored again to the earth. We have living prophets to guide us today. God and Jesus Christ live today and are waiting for us to ask our questions and if we will ask with a “sincere heart, with real intent having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4)

Your comments and questions are welcome.

The Sabbath – A Day of Rest

I love the Sabbath Day; it really has become a delight to me. I have often wondered why the Sabbath Day is called a day of rest. As a bishop of a married student ward my day begins at 6 am when I get up and get ready for a day of meetings. My first meeting is at 7am, then it is sacrament meeting and the other ward block meetings. My afternoons are filled with leadership meetings and time spent in counseling with the members of the ward. I usually have some time to spend with my wife eating dinner before going to visit with members or other meetings in the evening. When I get home I may have time to read the scriptures or watch a talk from general conference before I go to bed and finally rest. There is not much time for rest for me or many others serving in the church; however, at the end of the Sabbath Day I feel invigorated and blessed to have served with the wonderful young couples in our ward. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I look forward to the Sabbath Day when I get to “rest” from my worldly labors and focus on the Savior and Heavenly Father’s children.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the best example of Sabbath observance. He did not spend his day sleeping, or lounging around the house. His Sabbath was spent teaching the people, healing the sick, visiting with his disciples and their families. Many times when he did go somewhere to find solitude, the multitudes found him, he did not send them away, he willingly ministered unto them and blessed them. He spent the Sabbath as he every day, serving his Father’s children. Most of us have to work to provide for ourselves and our families; so the Lord asks that we take one day each week to rest from those daily labors and to follow his example of going to the “house of prayer” or church, to partake of the sacrament, and to serve others.

In the ten commandments that the Lord Jehovah gave to the children of Israel, through his prophet Moses, he said “six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord” (Exodus 35:2). To his modern church the Lord said that in order for us to keep our selves unspotted from the world we are to go to the “house of prayer” and to “rest from your labors” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-10)

Alma, a Book of Mormon Prophet, taught:

But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest. (Alma 13:28-29)

Is there a difference between resting on the Sabbath and entering into the Lord’s rest? President Joseph F. Smith had this to say about what it means to enter into the rest of the Lord:

“What does it mean to enter into the rest of the Lord? Speaking for myself, it means that through the love of God I have been won over to Him, so that I can feel at rest in Christ, that I may no more be disturbed by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning and craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; and that I am established in the knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ, so that no power can turn me aside from the straight and narrow path that leads back into the presence of God, to enjoy exaltation in His glorious kingdom; that from this time henceforth I shall enjoy that rest until I shall rest with Him in the heavens.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, Chapter 48)

I believe that there are similarities between the two types of rest. The scriptures tell us that for us to remain unspotted from the world we are to rest on the Sabbath and go to the house of prayer. In other words, we are to take a break from our worldly pursuits and activities and attend our church meetings, renewing our covenants by partaking of the sacrament, and spending our day in service and worship. If we make Sabbath observance a habit, we will be more committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and will have the spirit to be with us always so we will not be deceived by worldly pleasures or doctrines of the devil. We will be firm in our testimonies and not lead astray. When we live lives like Christ we shall be at peace and at rest in him.

When we come to enjoy the Sabbath day in this light it will be a day of rest for us and we will enter into the Lord’s rest.

Historic Agreement between the LDS Church and The NCAA

I am definitely going to the conference center for priesthood! tomorrow!

April 1 2016, the LDS Church announced that due to overwhelming demand they will simulcast the NCAA semi final game between North Carolina and Syracuse during the church's General Priesthood Session on Saturday April 2nd. April, a church spokesman, commented "we did not want our priesthood brethren to have to choose between the general priesthood session and the NCAA semi final so we have contracted with the NCAA to broadcast the game on the big screens in the conference center".

One Tar-Heel fan commented "This is such a blessing. I love the priesthood session but I did not want to miss this big game. It is comforting to know the brethren understand how important this is to the Tar-Heel Nation". Otto Orange, President of the LDS Student Association, in an emotional comment said: "When the announcement was made to all the Institute classes this morning you could hear cheers coming from all the classrooms. Student were seen crying they were so relieved that they could attend the priesthood session and not miss the game". 

Elder Jeffry R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and former President of Syracuse University, commented that President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church and former player at The University of North Carolina, asked us to find a way to make it happen and with divine intervention we were able to get the NCAA to allow the broadcast in the conference center. 

When asked how they will broadcast the game and still have all the talks, one of the technicians involved said that they have developed new technology that will allow the highlights of the game to be broadcast between the speakers. "This is the most advanced technology that has ever been used.We will be able to strip out all the slow parts of the game and just show the exciting plays while still streaming live into the conference center.The speakers all know that their talks may be interrupted whenever something exciting is happening in the game".

For more information contact April at aprilfools@ldsnews.com.