It being Christmas I wanted to share something short but beautiful. My favorite Christmas hymn is Veni, Veni Emmanuel, or in English, O’ Come, O’ Come, Emmanuel. The song is both a prayer that accurately captures the hopes, if not the actual words, of those who looked forward to the Messiah’s first coming and those of us now who anticipate His Second Coming. But it also testifies to us that we need not wait for Christ to come again to experience the power and peace He promises to bring because God is with us even now in Presence, Person, and Spirit. He is our Emmanuel, our ever present God if we but open our eyes, minds, ears, and hearts to Him.
Tag: peace
When We Should Break The Law
From our earliest days, when the Prophet Joseph and Patriarch Hyrum suffered in Liberty Jail and died in Carthage Jail, to the Saints spending nearly 30 years resisting Federal anti-polygamy laws, practicing civil disobedience and being willing to go to prison in order to serve God, on down to the modern day we have examples of the lives of great Saints who have repeatedly broken the laws of the land in order to do what is right and to serve God. Latter-day Saint history is full of rebels and rogues, people who would rather be exiled from the nation, who would rather be killed, than disobey the Lord. So how is it that so many of us have become so milquetoast about standing up the government tyranny? Why is it that so many of us think that the Saints should “strictly obey the laws of the government in which they live,” even when such laws aren’t just wrong or immoral, but even when said laws actively compel us either to disobey God or punish us for obeying Him? While there are numerous reasons, one of the largest is because Latter-day Saints have misinterpreted the Twelfth Article of Faith, D&C 58:21, and D&C 134:5 as giving commandments to the Saints to obey the law and to comply even with evil laws. A close examination of these scriptures though, as I attempt here, show that such interpretations are, by the large, gross nonsense.
What Is The Government And How Does It Work?
Government is one of those subjects that most people know woefully little about. And no, I don’t mean the byzantine systems of law creation or frankly mind numbing committee meetings, though those are often much more important than is typically understood. What I mean is most people have no understanding about the ideas that government is based upon and how those ideas create much of the violence and corruption we see in the world today. Here I address the ideas of government, what beliefs most modern nations are founded upon, and the alternative that would help decrease the violence in the world and create a place of greater liberty, prosperity, and equality for all peoples.
A Christian’s Duty to Society
The fallen society we find ourselves living in is rife with corruption, violence, brutality, and evil. As followers of Jesus Christ, what exactly is our role in trying to change this, how do we do it, and just how dedicated should we be to that cause? Here I address these questions about the greatest source of violence, brutality, and corruption in the world today.
If You’re A “Progressive Mormon” or A “Conservative Mormon” Then You’re The Wrong Kind of Mormon
It is common for people to complain about the political positions of other members of the church and to describe themselves as “Conservative Mormons,” “Progressive Mormons,” “Libertarian Mormons,” “Gay Mormons,” etc. The problem with this is that these types of identity politics are incredibly dangerous for all those involved- the person in question and the Church as a whole, not to mention society in general. It divides, marginalizes, and diminishes what should be one whole- the Body of Christ. The reliance on political ideology to create a better world through government violence has failed and will always do so. The more we allow political identities to define and divide us the less able we will be to do the real work necessary to create the better world we all hope our children will inherit. The Book of Mormon provides clear warnings about allowing political ideology to direct our lives while providing us with the blueprint to create a truly equal, just, free, and prosperous society for all.
The Modern Moloch, Part 1: Patriotism, Nationalism, Idolatry, and Human Sacrifice
For all of human history there has been a struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world, expressed in many dualities. Here, taking an image from a modern Apostle, we explore how the system of government used throughout most of the world is comparable in its means and ends to the worship of the ancient Canaanite idol Moloch and what that means for how we, as Saints, should react to those in power. If we are to be Saints and dedicate ourselves to God and the Lamb through sacred temple covenants we have to be able to recognize the lies the government tells and the idolatry that lays at the heart of the way it manipulates and coerces us into obeying it in defiance of the commandments of God. This article is the first of a series with the goal of doing exactly that by investigating and revealing the true idolatrous nature of the governments and kingdoms of this world.
How We Win: The Complete Series on How Nonviolence Can Help Change Society
What follows below was originally released as three separate parts, but, intended from the start to be read as one whole article, but ended up being too long. Each article works singularly, but the full force of the argument is somewhat disjointed by the need to break it up for easier consumption. Here the original article is restored for those who wish to take it in as one complete work. It explores how nonviolent action would not only help the protestors in the street win allies, change hearts, and alter laws, but how nonviolence makes possible the transformation of our society from what it is into one with greater liberty, equality, and prosperity for all.
The Satanic Nature of Politics
It seems like political division and hatred is worse today than ever before. Here I evaluate why this is, how politics divides families, increases hatred, and works in direct opposition to the cause of Zion- ultimately doing the work of the Devil and not the Lord. Finally I look at why there is still a reason to hope and the path laid out in the scriptures for us to follow in order to abandon the political whoredoms of Babylon and to create Zion today.
The Best Version of the “Battle Hymn of The Republic”
In many churches in America, you’ll find the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” -a song that glorifies war and nationalism- sung as part of worshipping the Prince of Peace. It is incongruous with the purpose of Christian worship at best and blasphemous at worst. Yet many love it because it is such a stirring and triumphant sounding song. Luckily, there is a better option which both maintains the tune and brings the song’s message more in line with Gospel truths.
Universal Imprisonment on Independence Day
American Independence Day, a day in which Americans are supposed to declare their liberation from an overweening British state that sought to turn them into servile prisoners in their own lands dawns this year with the American public facing mass imprisonment in their own states, cities, and homes. Convicted of no crime, facing no accusations, merely upon the declaration of those in power, tens of millions of Americans have been placed under house arrest and threatened with both life shattering fines and life ending violence if they disobey. If America ever needed a new declaration of liberation, today is that day.