I am always fascinated by how people act when put in difficult moral dilemmas. Will they stay true to country, family, government (earthly) or a higher heavenly law? Abinadi in the Book of Mormon stayed true to a higher heavenly law - and eschewed the evil and corrupt worldly government of his day. He paid the ultimate earthly price, but obtained a more weighty heavenly prize. And he changed the course of history within his people, for having done so. He was a just man - made holy through the sacrifice of the highest thing a man/woman can offer in this life. His or her life. It is the ultimate test of whether you have truly given up the things of the world and whether you have been able to look beyond them, or whether you are still rolling around in the muck, going after baser things.
My wife served her mission in Austria and was a German minor at BYU. In her studies, she came across a book about Hubener - a young German resistance fighter who was LDS and used his conscience to guide him to fight evil - even using the branch house's mimeograph machine to make copies of leaflets, in defiance of the laws of the day.
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Helmuth_Hubener
His branch president was in full support of the nazi movement, as well as several members, for the reasons outlined in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0806146680/wwwcampusboocom587-20#
There were a few supporting messages coming from SLC in support of the nazis. Of course, we all know how well that little movement went down..... And here we are today. We live in an orwellian nazi police state that hitler could only dream about, complete with a tin-pot dictator at the top who can manipulate the public using every piece of recorded data that is produced by the populace. Pathetic in every sense of the word.
The question then becomes, will we and our leadership cave to the demands of men and government when the screws are put to us? Will be go along to get along? Or will we stand on principle and put our lives, our God and our religion on the line? I submit to you that these very questions will have to be answered by most in what is coming shortly. If asked to turn over your food/water/fuel to a soldier that is "just following orders", will you do so - knowing that you will then have to stand in line and accept a mark in order to eat that same food and feed your family? Will you starve? Or will you fight to the death - rather than submit? Will you follow a weak leader who has bent to the dictates of man (as has happened in the past? - and for which we must still atone as a people).
These are questions I ask myself. Not because I have inordinate amounts of time to think about it, but because I think I will know better how to act under pressure, if I have posed the question early and thoroughly thought the issues through.
A great test is coming. The results of that test will determine your eternal destiny. Choose wisely.
Jeffrey R. Holland has stated,
ReplyDelete"One way or another, I think virtually all of the prophets and early apostles had their visionary moments of our time—a view that gave them courage in their own less-successful eras. Those early brethren knew an amazing amount about us. Prophets such as Moses, Nephi, and the brother of Jared saw the latter days in tremendously detailed vision. Some of what they saw wasn’t pleasing, but surely all those earlier generations took heart from knowing that there would finally be one dispensation that would not fail.
Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them “heavenly and joyful anticipations” and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory. I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can’t get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can’t get excited!"
-Terror, Triumph,and a Wedding Feast,
http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1371
...Or, instead of taking up arms against your neighbor, will you pray to God for deliverance?
ReplyDeleteYou should read this story: http://www.dailybread.com.au/e-books/Boris_Sorokovsky/A%20Call%20to%20the%20Churches%20in%20America.pdf
The truth is always somewhere between two extremes as man perceives things. The second comment seems to be the right choice. Fight God's Way. In this set of circumstances the Lord tells us that to live by the sword means to die by like means.
ReplyDeleteSo to gain victory, it seems one must put his FULL trust in God on this one and stand fast upon Righteousness & God's Promise to send Heavenly Assistance....One Mighty & Strong & 144,000 butt kicking Angels ! Be sure to call upon God & those Angels when the need arises....