What would a society where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of the major influences on everything look like? How would it function? What would it mean for rich people? For poor people? For property owners? For homeless people? For politicians? For the public? What would it look like in terms of sex, marriage, and children? What would its economy look like? If we could carry out a generations long experiment with the effects of Mormonism on a nation, what would be the end results and how would they stack up against other places with such a heavy Latter-day Saint influence? Our critics would have us believe that it would be a dystopian nightmare. Are they right? What proof otherwise do we have? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot.
Category: Religion
The Great Fiction of the State
With all the evils perpetuated upon society by those in power, because of the constant robbery, harassment, and violence everyone is constantly subjected to and under threat of, it seems like it wouldn’t be hard to rally people against the evils of the State. Yet, for many there is no organization for which they would more kill and die for, no idea for which they would sacrifice more, even their children, than the government, for the State. As a result the natural question we must ask ourselves is why; why do so many give so much to and do so much for that which does them so much harm and which lives off of the masses as one great parasite draining away the vital wealth and liberty of the people until it becomes so bloated and fat and society so enfeebled that everything collapses into chaos under the weight of its failures. Here I seek to answer this question and, drawing upon as diverse thinkers as Frédéric Bastiat, Robert Houghwout Jackson, and King Benjamin, I believe I have come upon three essential insights that help explain why people engage in such pious veneration of and develop such powerful loyalty to the State. After exploring these ideas of why people believe so ardently in the Great Fiction of the State, I present the solutions to the lies of the Sate and the most effective way we can help to transform the world, liberating humanity from the yoke of the State and securing greater liberty and prosperity for ourselves and our posterity for all time.
What Do You Do When An Apostle Is Wrong?
This is a topic that I think is important to address, yet it is one that we are often afraid to address. Perhaps this is because we feel like that by pointing out or acknowledging where the Brethren are in error that we are questioning the Lord Himself or like we might damage another’s faith. Yet we all know it happens. Apostles are often wrong when citing scriptures and when citing history. And refusing to address the issue creates a very unhealthy aura of infallibility around the Brethren that not only forces more weight upon their shoulders than they already carry but it also creates a very weak and sandy foundation upon which to build our own testimonies. This article is dedicated towards answering this important question in a way that will help the believer maintain and build faith in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, and His appointed leaders while also acknowledging and understanding their own fallibility, their ability to commit error, and how their doing so should impact our own understanding of the scriptures.
An Apostle Explains The End of the World
This is quite possibly one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. Herein is reproduced a letter written by one of the church’s most influential thinkers and theologians, Apostle Parley P. Pratt. The letter was sent by Elder Pratt to Queen Victoria, the Queen of England, during his first mission to Great Britain. In it, Elder Pratt does something that I absolutely adore. Instead of fawning over Victoria or her court, hoping to make some favorable impression for himself or the church as you would imagine many people then and now would, Elder Pratt, while being courteous and humble, goes for the jugular of the Empire itself. Using the scriptures he lays out the coming judgments of God against the kingdoms of the world, the events of the Last Days before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the revolutionary the establishment of the Kingdom of God through the Restoration, and calls upon the leaders of the state to repent of their wickedness, denounce their greed and power, and to lead their nation in mass repentance before they are overthrown by the power of God. For this alone it is worth reading. Throw in his clear explanation of many of the signs of the Last Days and it is without a doubt that all who read it will profit from it.
What Does It Mean To “Render Unto Caesar”?
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and to God the things which are God’s,” is one of the most abused and least understood scriptures in the Standard Works. For nearly 2,000 years it has been used to justify the violence, brutality, and evils carried out by the State and used by its defenders to argue that Christians should obey their governments when it robs and oppresses them. But this interpretation is way off from the true meaning of the scripture.
By delving into the scriptures themselves and examining the historical and scriptural context in which Christ was speaking not only do I conclude that the classic interpretation of this scripture is wrong, but that it means almost the exact opposite of what the classical interpretation says the scripture means. It is not a call to submit to Caesar, to obey our governments, and do what we are told by these in power. Rather it is a call to rebel against the powers of the world and serve God alone.
I also talk about how this scripture has special applications for endowed Latter-day Saints as they have covenanted to give everything they own and are to Christ alone for the building of His Kingdom, not to Caesar for the building of Babylon.
What Caused The Great Disaster of 3 Nephi 8?
In 3 Nephi 8, the Prophet-Historian Mormon records that a tremendous cataclysm destroyed a multitude of cities, slew untold numbers of people, and shook the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations to their cores, bringing them to their knees in every describable way. This event consisted of horrific storms that destroyed entire cities, mass fires that burned other cities to the ground, massive earthquakes that tore apart yet other cities, and three days of darkness that covered the land in a literal, palpable darkness that could be felt and which prevented the kindling of any fire and which blocked out the Sun itself. In short, the Nephites and Lamanites got a practice run with the Apocalypse. But what caused it? What actual physical processes did the Lord use to bring about this Great Disaster? Here I attempt to provide an answer to this question that details all the major events and addresses what caused them. Finally, I comment on some important spiritual truths that we can learn from the history of these events.
The Religious Nature of the Political Right
A few weeks back I wrote an exploration of the religious nature of the political Left, exploring the ways that Leftist ideology acts as a religion within the lives of Leftists themselves. Today’s article is about the religious nature of the political Right and about the ways that right wing ideology acts as the religious beliefs of Rightists. Unlike many people, who make the easily understood and common mistake of equating the religion of the political Right with some aberrant form of Christianity, I have relied upon the works of Dr. Carlton J.H. Hayes, an eminent historian who pioneered the historical study of Nationalism, to study the true religion of the political Right and the impact it has in the lives of Rightists. In doing so I also dig into what it means to be on the political Right in terms of conservatism, traditionalism, and nationalism, seeking to reach the true taproot of the political Right, that set of beliefs which defines it even when all its other ideas shift and change over time. Here I believe I have hit on the definitive truth of not only what motivates right wing politics but what also drives the faith of Rightists in their ideology and what motivates them to try and remake the world in its image.
The Religious Nature of the Political Left
Having just finished thoroughly discussing the ways that governments use secularized versions of religious symbolism and ritual to manipulate the public and generate a sense of loyalty and obedience to it from among the masses, I thought it worthwhile to explore how the different partisan denominations of the politics -the “Left” and the “Right”- function as secular religions as well. The value in this is in explaining why people adhere to their different political beliefs and parties even when all logic, science, and morality demonstrate the inherent flaws, errors, and failings of those political beliefs to either reflect reality or to reform reality and create the outcomes their adherents promise if people would but live them. In this article I address this in terms of the Left, exploring how and why Leftist beliefs act as religious dogmas in the lives of Leftists.
Exaltation, The Endowment, and The Divine Council
The LDS Temple Endowment and its deep, ancient, rich symbolism is very often unknown and misunderstood even by Latter-day Saints. We live in an age so literal and devoid of mythic symbolism that even the most simplistic rituals can be seen as strange and confusing to the modern man. This is even more so for the Endowment, which is steeped in ritual and symbolism as old as history itself. Here I attempt to peel back one of these layers of mystery by exploring the Endowment in relation to the scriptural concept of the Divine Council of the Gods and what understanding this teaches us not only about the Endowment but the purpose of the Endowment and the Temple in the lives of the Saints.
The Modern Moloch: The Complete Series
The links to the seven parts of the Modern Moloch series- about the idolatrous nature of the State and the way that the government manipulates the minds and hearts of the public using religious rituals, ideals, and symbols- can be found herein. Additionally, there is an Addendum that summarizes some of my final thoughts (for now anyway) on the subject. Also included is a section of poetry about modern day “Molochism” from American poet Allen Ginsberg that gets to the true heart of the wickedness of the State and which serves as a fitting epilogue to the series.