TEMPLE ENDOWMENT AND MASONIC CONNECTION

This is simply the beginning of what will become a very long read. The original seed was from a reply to another blog that sought to make the claim that our modern endowment came from the Masons.

Of course, I could not refrain to at least throw a high level answer out there to get people to dig in and ask a few more questions of history and the facts.

Here it is (and there will be much more to come as time goes on):

First of all, I want to say that I like your blog with its thoughtful input.

As a missionary in Brazil, my mission President (a convert and the first black 2nd quorum of the 70), Helvecio Martins was a former Mason and this topic got kicked around alot back in the day. My wife and I have dug into this one, as well.

For me it is very simple - and it is the same question that always comes up about our doctrine as the only church of a "restorationist" nature where we claim not to have "new wine put into old bottles" but to have "new bottles", etc where others are either from the mainline religion that departed from the new testament church to the point that there is little resemblance to structure, doctrine and priesthood type and authority. The only other option is belonging to a group that protests the doctrines and beliefs of the main body. We claim that our church is the same as the church that existed when Christ was upon the earth and that the ancient church (other than sacrifice by the shedding of blood as a type and foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice) is the same basic organization that existed with the earlier peoples of the earth (house of Israel). In other words, the answer to the chicken and egg argument (in regards to the temple ceremony) is that it was always here and practiced by ancients (including those at Qumran) in the day when the original temple was built by Solomon by those of the "masonic" guild. In order to build the temple, they had to have the higher priesthood with its endowment given to them and thus were initiates to what every one who possessed the higher priesthood had. This knowledge, like everything was watered down through apostasy over hundreds of years and then was lost to history and then re-obtained when the Knights Templar escavated Jerusalem during a crusade to re-Christianize the Holy Land.
Through a series of events, this was taken back to Europe and then spread to the U.S., etc. where Joseph Smith happened onto it and asked questions and was given the answer that we know as our modern temple endowment. I have studied just enough of the Masons (even got a Junior Achievement award and dinner in their 'endowment room' unbeknownst to me at the time) that I know that they have portions of the truth and that it definitely based off of the original 'masons union' that was given this sacred info in order to qualify in the building of the temple. Thus the name, the builder's symbols, and the most striking is their two pillars Boaz and Joachim still used in their entry way to the building - same as the two bronze pillars of Solomon's Temple.

As always, the Church is accused of imitating something that already existed - when all I want to say is thank you very much for noting the obvious - and then asking the question, would you like to be part of the restored original, or would you like to continue with the cheap and mostly unrecognizable knockoff that you are currently part of? I prefer fresh earthenware myself, thank you very much.

Hope I have not offended anyone - but I had to jump in here and throw my two cents in. Glenn Beck and many others attend our Sacrament Meetings and have felt something unusual and special and that has motivated them to make changes in their lives to be a part of that. I go to the Temple and that same Spirit is there - but ten fold. I have a deep and abiding knowledge that the Temple IS The House of the Lord because of that very Spirit that resides there. I will not even go into the spiritual experiences that I have had that further cement that witness. It is the 'Lord's University' for those that prepare themselves spiritually. Many people have a spiritual "grade school" education and choose to mock those who have seen the beauty of learning and who seek higher education. Unfortunately, for many who choose to throw stones at things they know not of, they cannot even comprehend because they will not take the first step forward in faith. The gospel is truly line upon line and precept on precept until we all come to a full knowledge in Christ.

I sometimes come across as arrogant in how I speak but I truly love all men and my only desire is that they find the truth that makes my life and joy full and gives it meaning and full purpose.

I am not trying to be rude by not replying but my time is limited. I hope this reply sparks further study and learning.

MATERIALISM AND PSYCHOLOGY - THE ROOT OF THE PRIDE CYCLE

So you purchase a new gadget and get that high and maybe even a feeling that you are somehow superior to the guy next to you that is minus said gadget.

Here is a great article that sums up the experience and how we work:

Downturn Spurs 'Survival Panic' for Some in the US

16 Dec 2008 | 07:58 AM ET Text Size A paralegal, recently laid off, wanted to get back at the "establishment" that he felt was to blame for his lost job. So when he craved an expensive new tie, he went out and stole one.

The story, relayed by psychiatrist Timothy Fong at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, is an example of the rash behaviors exhibited by more Americans as a recession undermines a lifestyle built on spending.

In the coming months, mental health experts expect a rise in theft, depression, drug use, anxiety and even violence as consumers confront a harsh new reality and must live within diminished means.

"People start seeing their economic situation change, and it stimulates a sort of survival panic," said Gaetano Vaccaro, deputy clinical director of Moonview Sanctuary, which treats patients for emotional and behavioral disorders. "When we are in a survival panic, we are prone to really extreme behaviors."

The U.S. recession that took hold in December last year has threatened personal finances in many ways as home prices fall, investments sour, retirement funds shrink, access to credit diminishes and jobs evaporate.

It is also a rude awakening for a generation of shoppers who grew up on easy access to credit and have never had to limit purchases to simply what they needed or could afford.

Instead, buying and consuming have become part of the national culture, with many people using what is in their shopping bags to express their own identity, from the latest gadgets to designer handbags.


AP
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For those who need to abruptly curtail spending, that leaves a major void, said James Gottfurcht, clinical psychologist and president of "Psychology of Money Consultants," which coaches clients on money issues.

"People that have been ... identifying with and defining themselves by their material objects and expenditures are losing a definite piece of their identity and themselves," he said. "They have to learn how to replace that."

Depression Trigger

Beth Rosenberg, a New York freelance educator and self-professed bargain hunter, said she stopped shopping for herself after her husband lost his publishing job in June.

She is now buying her son toys from the popular movie Madagascar for $2 at McDonald's, and is wearing clothes that have hung untouched in her closet for years.

She said it has been stressful to stick to an austere budget after she used to easily splurge on $100 boots. "I miss it," she said of shopping.

Resisting temptation now could be even more difficult, as struggling retailers roll out massive discounts to lure shoppers during the holiday season.

Fueled by easy access to credit, a housing market boom and rising investments, U.S. household spending accelerated in much of the past decade while the savings rate declined.


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After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 killed thousands and shuttered U.S. financial markets, consumers were encouraged by politicians and business leaders to spend as a way of saving the economy and proving capitalism could not be crushed.

"We're getting these messages that it is, in effect, patriotic to spend money," said Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor and author of "Going Broke: Why Americans Can't Hold On To Their Money." The United States is deeply dependent on such spending, with consumption generating two-thirds of economic activity.

But problems arise when consumers become dependent on buying goods and services to cope with their emotions, Vaccaro said.

"We have difficulty handling our internal emotional state in other ways when we can't do that," he said, prompting some to seek out immediate gratification through drugs or alcohol.

Violent Behavior

Besides an increase in shoplifting, psychologists said retailers need to be prepared for more instances of violent behavior like that seen at a Wal-Mart store in Long Island, New York the day after Thanksgiving.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we see an uptick in crime, related to stealing," said UCLA's Fong. "I wouldn't be surprised if we see more workplace violence and more violence at the malls."

A throng of shoppers seeking rock bottom prices on flat-screen TVs and computers surged into the Wal-Mart [WMT 54.72 0.01 (+0.02%) ] store in predawn hours, trampling and killing a worker in the process. Fong said many shoppers have never stopped to think about why they were buying items, and it was easy to ignore looking deeper during a boom that support such spending.

But now, patients that can no longer shop to relieve stress have become anxious or depressed, he said. Others fume: "'I used to be able to afford that, I should be able to afford that now, I deserve that stuff,"' he said.

But Vaccaro said the downturn could be a time for shoppers to pause and study what they are attempting to achieve or what void they are attempting to fill by spending.

"We don't buy products, we buy feelings," Vaccaro said. "We're buying the anticipation of the feeling that we think that product or service is going to give us."

Gottfurcht said he encourages clients to take a walk or do some deep breathing before making a purchase to avoid an impulsive buy. He also recommended that clients keep a journal, noting how they felt when bought an item.

He said clients should then check the list a week later to see if the "glow" of that purchase has worn off, and it only satisfied an immediate want, not a true need.

The greater opportunity of the downturn, Vaccaro said, is that it represents a chance to move away from "irrational" and "careless" consumerism toward "a more discerning consumer."

NATIVE AMERICANS DESCEND FROM SIX COMMON FEMALE ANCESTORS

Most Indians linked to 'founding mothers'
Only 6 women left DNA legacy present among most Native Americans


By Malcolm Ritter
updated 7:46 a.m. PT, Thurs., March. 13, 2008

NEW YORK - Nearly all of today's Native Americans in North, Central and South America can trace their ancestry to just six women whose descendants immigrated around 20,000 years ago, a DNA study suggests.

The result doesn't mean that only six women gave rise to the migrants who crossed into North America from Asia in the initial populating of the continent.

Rather, it suggests that only six left a particular DNA legacy that persists to today in about about 95 percent of Native Americans, said study co-author Ugo Perego in Utah.
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The women didn't necessarily arrive together, nor even all live at the same time, he said. Results indicate the women arrived sometime between 18,000 and 21,000 years ago.


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The work was published this week by the journal PLoS One. Perego is from the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in Salt Lake City and the University of Pavia in Italy.

The work confirms previous indications of just six maternal lineages, as well as a date of around 20,000 years ago for when the first people in North America arrived after crossing a land bridge from Asia, Perego said.

The researchers studied mitochondrial DNA, which is passed only from mother to daughter. They created a "family tree" that traces the different DNA lineages found in today's Native Americans. By noting mutations in each branch and applying a formula for how often such mutations arise, they calculated how old each branch was. That indicated when each branch arose in a single woman.

The six "founding mothers" apparently did not live in Asia because the DNA signatures they left behind aren't found there, Perego said. So they probably lived in Beringia, the now-submerged land bridge that stetched to North America, he said.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SCIENCE BACKING RELIGION - I LOVE IT!!!

CHURCH TALK ON BEING ONE - THE CITY OF ENOCH

THIS WAS GIVEN THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING. I WAS PINCH HITTING FOR SOMEONE THAT CANCELLED AT THE LAST MINUTE SO THIS WAS THROWN TOGETHER IN AROUND 2 HOURS:

HOW EACH MEMBER IS ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
THANKS FOR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK…..
BRO. FOETZ, I SAW SANTA OUT FRIDAY SHOPPING AND I KNOW WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE GETTING FOR CHRISTMAS. BETTER BE NICE OR THEY WILL FIND OUT….
THE TOPIC OF MY TALK IS (ABOVE)….
THIS TOPIC IS ESSENTIAL TO THE MISSION STATEMENT OF GOD REGARDING HIS CHILDREN.
MOST ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT THAT IS POUNDED HOME SO THAT PEOPLE STAY ON A SINGLE TRACK AND ARE UNIFIED IN THEIR GOAL. BOEING’S MISSION STATEMENT IS TO PRODUCE A WORLD-CLASS PRODUCT IN A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT…
GOD’S MISSION STATEMENT FOR HIS CHILDREN IS FOUND IN MOSES 1:39, AS FOLLOWS: BEHOLD, THIS IS MY WORK AND MY GLORY, TO BRING TO PASS THE IMMORTALITY AND ETERNAL LIFE OF MAN.”
I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE HEAVEN ON EARTH AND HOW GOD DEEMS ALL OF US AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THAT PROCESS AND EQUATION FOR GOOD LIVING.
FIRST WE, AS CHILDREN OF GOD, HAVE TO FIND OUR ‘NICHE” AND PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE IN THIS LIFE.
SECOND, ONCE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED HOW WE CAN BLESS THE LIVES OF OTHERS, WE NEED TO DO THAT.
THIRDLY, WE AS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THEN NEED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL SO THAT WE CAN MOVE UP AND RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF LIVING IN A TRUE ZION SOCIETY.
I WILL START WITH THE DESSERT (THE GOOD STUFF) OF THE THIRD THING (THE PROMISE WE HAVE AND THEN WORK BACKWARDS TO THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THAT). SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO HAVE THE GOAL IN FRONT OF US FOR THE HARD WORK TO MAKE SENSE FOR US.
WHAT IS THE VISION OF EACH OF US NEEDS TO HAVE TO REACH A LOFTY GOAL OF A TRUE ZION SOCIETY. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO DISCOVER WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SUCCESSFULLY IN THE PREVIOUS 6 THOUSAND YEARS OF THIS EARTH’S HISTORY. WE HAVE AT LEAST TWO WELL-RECORDED ERAS OF TIME WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO GET IT TOGETHER SUFFICIENTLY TO MAKE SOCIETY WORK IN HEAVEN’S IMAGE. HONORABLE MENTION GOES TO MELCHIZEDEK AND THE INHABITANTS OF SALEM, THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT BY THE ANCIENT SAINTS OF THE OLD WORLD RIGHT AFTER CHRIST’S CRUCIFIXION AND AN ATTEMPT BY THE MODERN SAINTS TO LIVE THE LAW OF CONSECRATION (ALL THINGS WERE HAD COMMON AMONG THE PEOPLE) AND THUS TAKE THEM TOWARD A ZION SOCIETY.
MOSES 7:18 SAYS “AND THE LORD CALLED HIS PEOPLE ZION, BECAUSE THEY WERE OF ONE HEART AND ONE MIND, AND DWELT IN RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND THERE WAS NO POVERTY AMONG THEM.”
I INTERJECT HERE THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN THIS LAND AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS CHURCH WHO BELIEVE SOCIALISM IS THE MODERN ANSWER TO THE LAW OF CONSECRATION. THEY ARE IN GRAVE ERROR AND NEED TO BECOME MORE FULLY ACQUAINTED WITH GOD’S WORD ABOUT A ZION SOCIETY. THIS SOCIETY ONLY COMES ABOUT BY THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSECRATION AND NOT BY FORCE OR COERCION, WHICH IS “THE” TOOL OF THE ADVERSARY.
IN THE SOCIALISTIC MODEL, PEOPLE ARE FORCED UNDER DURESS OF POSSIBLE CONFISCATION AND IMPRISONMENT TO IMPART OF THEIR SUBSTANCE FOR THE GOOD OF SOCIETY. IN GOD’S MODEL, THERE IS NOTHING DONE, BUT IT IS DONE BY INVITATION BY ONE WHO HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY REVELATION AND THE INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IS EXTENDED WITHOUT ANY FORCE, COERCION OR BACKLASH FOR NON-PARTICIPATION. THESE ARE PRINCIPLES OF HEAVEN. FOR EVERY PRINCIPLE OF HEAVEN, THE DEVIL AND HIS MINIONS SET UP COUNTERFEITS TO CONFUSE AND DESTROY GOOD PRINCIPLE. SOCIALISM AND ITS OVERBEARING COUSIN, COMMUNISM ARE THOSE VERY COUNTERFEITS AND LEAD TO UNDERMINE GOOD PRINCIPLE. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THEM.
IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE COME SEE ME AFTERWARD.
ONE OF THE GREAT RECORDINGS OF A ZION SOCIETY WAS IN THE AMERICAS AFTER THE GREAT DESTRUCTION AT CHRIST’S FIRST COMING AND THE OTHER ONE THAT GIVES US A MORE FULL ACCOUNT WAS THE CITY OF ENOCH – THE CITY THAT WAS TAKEN COMPLETELY INTO HEAVEN, ALL IT’S MEMBERS AND THE CITY AND EVEN THE EARTH THAT THE CITY WAS BUILT UPON. THEY ARRIVED AT THIS LOFTY POINT PARTLY BECAUSE THEY WERE FORCED TO BY CIRCUMSTANCE. THINGS WERE SO BAD ON THE OUTSIDE THAT THOSE WHO CONGREGATED TOGETHER DID SO AS A PROTECTION (BOTH PHYSICAL AND MOSTLY SPIRITUAL).
TODAY, MOST OF US ARE HERE IN THIS MEETING IN A GROUP AS A HEDGE AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL DARKNESS THAT SURROUNDS US WHERE WE CAN FEEL SAFE ESPOUSING VALUES OF SANCTITY OF LIFE, OF MARRIAGE BETWEEN ON MAN AND ONE WOMAN, AND WHERE WE ARE TAUGHT GOOD PRINCIPLE AND TO LIVE BY IT. OTHERS WILL BE ATTRACTED TO THE THINGS OF THE WORLD AND WILL NOT CARE TO WASTE THEIR TIME OR ENERGY ON WHAT THEY VIEW AS TRIVIAL PURSUITS. WE CONSTANTLY ARE JUDGING OURSELVES BY HOW WE CHOOSE TO SPEND OUR TIME AND BY WHAT THINGS WE PUT VALUE UPON. IN THE END, IT IS NOT GOD, OUR LOVING FATHER WHO WILL CONDEMN US, BUT INDEED OUR OWN MEMORIES AND CONSCIENCES THAT WILL SELL US DOWN THE ROAD.
THE PEOPLE IN ENOCH’S DAY WORKED HARD AND EVERY ONE PITCHED IN AND WORKED HARD INCLUDING BEING PART OF THE MILITARY TO FEND OFF THE ONSLAUGHTS OF THE WICKED THAT SURROUNDED THEM BELOW ON THE PLAIN BELOW MOUNT ZION. EACH MEMBER OF THAT SOCIETY KNEW THAT IF THEY DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRODUCTION OF THAT GROUP, THAT THE OTHERS WHO DID WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CARRY THE BURDEN ALONE AND THUS THE WHOLE SOCIETY WOULD COLLAPSE AND THEY WOULD BE THRUST INTO THE ARMS OF THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE THEIR BEST INTERESTS IN MIND. THEIR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION WOULD BE COMPLETE. LET US CONSIDER HOW WE, AS THE MODERN BODY OF CHRIST, MIGHT BE IN THE SAME SITUATION IF WE DO NOT LIKEWISE ALL PITCH IN TO HEDGE AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL DECLINE AROUND US. EACH PERSON EXTENDED A CALLING, EACH PERSON ACCEPTING IN A COVENANT MANNER (EVEN IF WE DO NOT THINK WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SUCCEED AT IT), AND EACH PERSON ADDING THEIR BIT OF TALENT AND GOODNESS TO THE WHOLE - ALL PEOPLE BEING UNIFIED IN ONE BODY.
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24–25.)
However great the need may be for unity within nations, there is even greater need for harmony and interdependence within the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May I read from what a modern-day prophet referred to as “the greatest prayer ever uttered in this world”? It is recorded by John in impressive detail as he hears it fall from the lips of the Son of God at the close of the evening, after he and his apostles had dined together for the last time:
“Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. …
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. …
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. …
“Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. …
“As thou has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. …
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” (See John 17.)
Within this Church there is a constant need for unity, for if we are not one, we are not his. (See D&C 38:27.) We are truly dependent on each other, “and the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” (1 Cor. 12:21.) Nor can the North Americans say to the Asians, nor the Europeans to the islanders of the sea, “I have no need of thee.” No, in this church we have need of every member, and we pray, as did Paul when he wrote to the church in Corinth, “that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:25–26.)
Paul’s words are as applicable to us today as they were to the saints at Corinth.
It is unity and oneness that has thus far enabled us to bear our testimony around the globe, bringing forward tens of thousands of missionaries to do their part. More must be done. These great purposes of the Lord could not have been achieved with dissension or jealousy or selfishness (WHAT BISHOP WAS TALKING ABOUT THE LAST FEW WEEKS – WE MUST STRIP OURSELVES OF ALL PRIDE). Our ideas may not always be quite like those who preside in authority over us, but this is the Lord’s church and he will bless each of us as we cast off pride, pray for strength, and contribute to the good of the whole.
By the same token, I know of no stronger weapons in the hands of the adversary against any group of men or women in this church than the weapons of divisiveness, faultfinding, and antagonism. In a difficult period of the Church’s history, the Prophet Joseph Smith spoke of the opposition which can hinder the Church when we are not filled with the spirit of support and helpfulness.
JOSEPH SMITH TALKING ON THIS SUBJECT SAID THE FOLLOWING:
“The cloud that has been hanging over us,” he said, “has burst with blessings on our heads, and Satan has been foiled in his attempts to destroy me and the Church by causing jealousies to arise in the hearts of some of the brethren; and I thank my heavenly Father for the union and harmony which now prevail in the Church.” (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2:355.)
Of course, the key to a unified church is a unified soul—one that is at peace with itself and not given to inner conflicts and tensions. So much in our world is calculated to destroy that personal peace through sins and temptations of a thousand kinds. We pray that the lives of the Saints will be lived in harmony with the ideal set before us by Jesus of Nazareth.
We pray that Satan’s efforts will be thwarted, that personal lives can be peaceful and calm, that families can be close and concerned with every member, that wards and stakes, branches and districts can form the great body of Christ, meeting every need, soothing every hurt, healing every wound until the whole world, as Nephi pleaded, will “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. …
WE ACHIEVE PERSONAL PEACE AT HOME, THEN IN THE WARD FAMILY, THEN IN OUR COMMUNITIES, THEN OUR COUNTRY, THEN THE ENTIRE HUMAN FAMILY. IS IT NO WONDER THAT SATAN’S FIRST LINE OF ATTACK IS AIMED AT THE FAMILY AND THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE. ANY INDIVIDUAL OR INSTITUTION THAT SEEKS TO UNDERMINE EITHER OF THOSE SACRED UNITS SHOULD BE PUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY OR WE ARE NOT THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD, BUT BASTARD CHILDREN AND NOT A FRIEND OF TRUTH.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that every member is needed to help successfully establish the Church:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. …
“For the body is not one member, but many. …
“And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. …
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:12, 14, 21, 27–28).
MY DAD HAD A BAD ACCIDENT IN THE EARLY 1940’S AND LOST THE USE OF ONE EYE AND ALMOST THE OTHER. BUT THROUGH A SERIES OF MIRACLES HE GOT ENOUGH SIGHT BACK TO GO ON A MISSION, ETC..
RECENTLY, HE LOST THE SIGHT IN HIS LAST EYE AND HAD TO HAVE A CORNEAL TRANSPLANT WHICH ONLY TOOK ON THE FOURTH AND LAST TRY.
HE IS ONE THAT CAN TRULY SAY THAT HE KNOWS THE NEED OF EVERY BODY PART.
Each member of the Church has been blessed with special gifts or talents. Just think how difficult it would be for a bishop or branch president to successfully staff a ward or branch if everyone had the same talents. A great youth leader may have different talents than the choir director, but both are important to the overall well-being of the ward or branch. Just as each part of the body is essential to the health and strength of the whole body, each member is essential to the health and strength of the ward or branch.
When members willingly donate their time and talents to the Church, their testimonies grow and their spiritual lives are strengthened. In various locations throughout the Church, I have observed members’ lives change as they become fully engaged in helping to establish the Church.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:9 [1 Cor. 3:9], “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” Similarly, Peter taught, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house … to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). Let us individually commit to do our part in building up His Church. In the words of a great modern prophet, Brigham Young (1801–77), “When we conclude to make a Zion we will make it, and this work commences in the heart of each person.” 1

Becoming indifferent to our need for others is a common snare. It was this very danger Paul warned about in his letter to the early saints of Corinth. Using Christ’s body to represent the church, Paul taught that the Spirit gave to each member separate gifts, that each member of the church thereby might contribute to the well-being of the whole body of the church. But he also carefully emphasized that this interdependency was given so that each member would see and acknowledge his need for every other member:
“And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” (1 Cor. 12:21.)
Out of such recognition of need, the Lord intended that there should come to all a greater bond of love:
“That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Cor. 12:25–27.)
So that we might be humbled and that the bonds of love might be stronger among us, we ought to accept as necessary to our lives the dual experiences of “administering” and of “being administered to.”
Beautiful examples of these dual elements are found in every area of the gospel. The ordinances of the priesthood have them—in “being baptized” and in “baptizing,” in “being ordained” and in “ordaining.” They are found in the manner in which the gospel was spread upon the earth, for the Lord deliberately and purposely established that the gospel would first go to the Jews, who would then administer it to the Gentiles. But in the latter days, the pattern has reversed. The Gentiles now serve the Jews in regard to Christ’s words, and the Jews must be the receivers.

When Malachi asked if any man would rob God, he referred to not paying tithing. But there is another way to rob God. Each worthy individual mirrors a portion of the glory of God through some gift or blessing. When we refuse what others have to offer us, we are in essence denying that portion of God’s glory that their gift reflects. When we refuse his servants, we also refuse him, regardless of whether the blessing offered is spiritual or material.
How much wiser we would be to hearken sincerely to the counsel of Paul: to think of the Church as Christ’s body, to think of each member as a vital functioning part of that body, and then to earnestly realize of each member, “Head, I have need of you. Feet, I have need of you. Eyes, I have need of you. Hands, I have need of you. …”
In his analogy, Paul made special mention of:
—Members “which seem to be more feeble.” He stated that they “are necessary.” (1 Cor. 12:22; italics added.)
—Members “which we think to be less honourable.” Such, he wrote, were to receive “more abundant honour.” (1 Cor. 12:23; italics added.)
—Members of the body referred to as “our uncomely parts” who were to receive “more abundant comeliness.” (1 Cor. 12:23.)
Listen to Paul’s instructive words: “God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:24–26.)
Few words found in the scriptures are more poignant than these: “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Ps. 142:4.) Do any members of the Church feel that they are unknown and uncared for? Have we turned our faces away from some whose lives appear less than Saintly?
To build unity we must avoid contention by controlling our own words as well as rumor, gossip, accusation, and criticism. The seven evils the Lord “hates” all seem to be associated with the failure to control our thoughts and words. These are “a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:17–19). We must be constantly alert to and eliminate such behavior among us.
MAY EACH OF US CONTRIBUTE TO THE BUILDING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST UNTIL WE ALL COME TOGETHER IN THE PERFECT UNITY OF FAITH, AND IN SO DOING, BECOME A ZION SOCIETY THAT WILL BE WORTHY OF BEING PART OF THE GREAT ZION SOCIETY THAT CHRIST ACCEPTS AT HIS COMING. MAY WE NOT BE AMONG THOSE, AS IN THE CITY OF ENOCH WHO STAND WITHOUT THE GATE AND DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREAT SOCIETY WHOSE ARCHITECT AND FOUNDER IS CHRIST.

MAY WE BE HIS PEOPLE AS WE EMULATE HIS LIFE OF SERVICE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR, AMEN.

HERE IS A GREAT TALK BY PRESIDENT EZRA TAFT BENSON THAT BACKS UP THE ZION VS. SOCIALISM GARBAGE THAT I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO FIGHT IN THE CHURCH:


A Vision and a Hope for the Youth of Zion

EZRA TAFT BENSON

Ezra Taft Benson was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional
address was given at�Brigham Young University on 12 April 1977.

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My beloved brethren and sisters, humbly and gratefully I stand before you this morning and seek an interest in your faith and prayers that the message that I have may be accompanied by the Spirit. It is a wonderful sight that I view here this morning. It is good to be with you, my beloved young friends, distinguished members of the faculty, and special guests.

My wife and I have just returned from a glorious weekend at St. George, where I had the privilege of addressing three overflow audiences, two in the largest auditorium they have at Dixie College and made up largely of young people, and one on the fourth floor of the temple in a Solemn Assembly. We were honoring the centennial of the dedication of the St. George Temple, the first one to be erected in the western part of the country. We are still basking in the aftermath of another great general conference of the Church. Never in my memory have we had more explicit warnings from prophets of God; and nowhere in the world are there men better prepared or more obligated to issue such warnings.

The Celestial Kingdom

Today I want to discuss some principles and laws of the celestial kingdom, and some of the fallacies of their perverted counterfeits in the world. I share with you a vision of your eternal possibilities. The celestial kingdom, residence of God, our Eternal Father, is comprised of men and women who have complied with divine law and who were not deceived by the craftiness of men or the doctrines of devils. They are just men made perfect through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ (see D&C 76:69). They are obedient to celestial law; for, as the Lord has said, he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory (D&C 88:22).

Celestial laws, embodied in certain ordinances belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, are complied with by voluntary covenants. The laws are spiritual. Thus, our Father in Heaven has ordained certain holy sanctuaries, called temples, in which these laws may be fully explained, the laws include the law of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.

I want to speak more particularly this morning about this one law--the law of consecration. It is that one's time, talents, strength, property, and money are given up to the Lord for the express purpose of building up the kingdom of God and establishing Zion on the earth. Or, as we read in Doctrine and Covenants 105:5, "Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom."

Much has been written about this law and its attempted implementations in the early history of the Church; and much deception has taken root, even among some of our members, because of misinformed opinion or misguided interpretations. Some view it as merely an economic alternative to capitalism or the free enterprise system, others as an outgrowth of early communal experiments in America. Such a view is not only shortsighted but tends to diminish in importance a binding requirement for entrance into the celestial kingdom. The law of consecration is a celestial law, not an economic experiment.

The vehicle for implementing the law of consecration is the united order. The basic principle underlying the united order is that everything we have belongs to the Lord; and, therefore, the Lord may call upon us for any and all of our property, because it belongs to him. The united order was entered by "a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken" (D&C 42:30), according to the scriptures. In other words, an individual conveys his titles to all his property to the Church through the bishop. The property becomes the property of the Church. You read about this in the forty-second section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The bishop then deeds back to the consecrator by legal instrument the amount of personal property required by the individual for the support of himself and his family, as the Lord declares, "according to his circumstances and his wants and needs" (D&C 51:3). This becomes the private, personal property of the individual to develop as he sees fit. It is his stewardship. When an individual produces a profit or surplus more than is needful for the support of himself and his family, the surplus is then placed in the bishops storehouse to administer to the poor and the needy. Under the united order, idleness has no place, and greed, selfishness, and covetousness are condemned. The united order may therefore operate with only a righteous people.

It has been erroneously concluded by some that the united order is both communal and communistic in theory and practice because the revelations speak of equality. Equality under the united order is not economic and social leveling as advocated by some today. Equality, as described by the Lord, is "equal[ity] according to [a man's] family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs" (D&C 51:3).

Is the united order a communal system? Emphatically not. It never has been and never will be. It is "intensely individualistic." Does the united order eliminate private ownership of property? No. "The fundamental principle of this system [is] the private ownership of property" (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1942, p. 57).

Two separate groups of saints have fully implemented this divine law. The first was the united order under Enoch, wherein the Lord designated this people Zion, "because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them." We read of this in the seventh chapter, eighteenth verse, of Moses, in the Pearl of Great Price. A second instance was the Nephite civilization following the visit of the Savior to the Western Hemisphere after his resurrection. This is recorded in 4 Nephi, the third verse particularly. The failure of the early Saints in this dispensation to live according to the fulness of the law is explained by the Lord in revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, sections 101 and 105.

I repeat and emphasize that the law of consecration is a law for an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. God, the Eternal Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and all holy beings abide by this law. It is an eternal law. It is a revelation by God to his Church in this dispensation. Though not in full operation today, it will be mandatory for all Saints to live the law in its fulness to receive celestial inheritance. You young people today abide a portion of this higher law as you tithe, pay a generous fast offering, go on missions, and make other contributions of money, service, and time.

Satan's Counterfeit System

But whenever the God of heaven establishes by revelation his design, Satan always comes among men to pervert the doctrine, saying, "Believe it not." He often establishes a counterfeit system, designed to deceive the children of men. His aim, as it was before the foundation of this earth was laid, is to thwart the agency of man and to subjugate him. Throughout all ages of mankind, the adversary has used human agents and despotic governments to establish his purpose. Satan is determined to destroy all that is dear, all that will ennoble and exalt man to a celestial kingdom.

Isaiah foresaw the time when a marvelous work and a wonder would come forth among men (see Isaiah 29:14). Isaiah also predicted that there would be those that "seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they [shall] say, Who seeth us?" (Isaiah 29:15). He saw the time when the work, man, shall say of him that made him, "He made me not," denying his creation (see Isaiah 29:16). It is well to ask what self-proclaimed atheists came on the human scene following the restoration of the gospel, who established secret works of darkness to overthrow nations by violent revolution and who blasphemously proclaimed the atheistic doctrine that God made us not. Yes, Satan works through human agents. We need only look to some of the ignoble figures in human history who were contemporary to the restoration of the gospel to discover fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. I refer to the infamous founders of communism, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Today, if we are alert, we can see further fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies.

Communism--a System Antithetical to the Gospel of Christ

Through the instigation of Marx and Engels, a most successful counterfeit to the united order was introduced into the world. The declaration of principles found in their Manifesto to the World advocated the overthrow of capitalism and free enterprise, the abolition of private property, the elimination of the family as a social unit, the abolition of all classes, the overthrow of all governments, and the establishment of communal ownership of property in a classless, stateless society. All this was to be accomplished by revolution.

On July 3, 1936, the First Presidency published this warning to Church members. I quote it in part; I hope you will get a copy of the full statement for your files. In part, the statement reads:

. . . Communism is not a political party, nor a political plan under the Constitution; it is a system of government that is the opposite of our Constitutional government. . . .

Since Communism, established, would destroy our American Constitutional government, to support Communism is treasonable to our free institutions, and no patriotic American citizen may become either a Communist or supporter of Communism.

To our Church members we say, Communism is not the United Order, and bears only the most superficial resemblance thereto. Communism is based upon intolerance and force, the United Order upon love and freedom of conscience and action. . . .

Communists cannot establish the United Order, nor will Communism bring it about. . . .

Communism being thus hostile to loyal American citizenship and incompatible with true Church membership, of necessity no loyal American citizen and no faithful Church member can be a Communist.

We call upon all Church members completely to eschew [and shun] Communism. The safety of our divinely inspired Constitutional government and the welfare of our Church imperatively demand that Communism shall have no place in America.

Signed,

President Heber J. Grant

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.

David O. McKay

The First Presidency



You students have only to read some of the speeches and writings of the exiled Russian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to appreciate this farsighted warning of the First Presidency.

I have been on both sides of the Iron Curtain several times. I have talked to these godless leaders face to face. I say to you with all the sincerity of my soul that since 1933 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress towards its objective of world domination, for over one-third of the human family are now under totalitarian subjugation.

Today we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of men. It is a battle between two opposite systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ. The struggle today is more momentous than a decade ago, yet today the conventional wisdom, so called, is that we have got to learn to live with communism, to give up our ideas about national sovereignty. You hear that repeated today. Tell that to the millions--yes, the scores of millions--who have met death or imprisonment under the tyranny of communism. Learn to live with communism? Such would be the death knell of freedom and all we hold dear.

The gospel of Jesus Christ can prosper only in an atmosphere of freedom. As members of his Church, we have a major responsibility to do all in our power to see that freedom is preserved and safeguarded. I pray that God will bless you to see communism for what it really is: the greatest system of human slavery that the world has ever known. May you not be deceived into believing that the communists have moderated their goal toward world domination. I say to you that so-called detente is a fraud. Time will prove it to be such.

There is no excuse for any BYU instructor to grant a forum to an avowed communist for the purpose of teaching communism on this campus. It may be done on other campuses in the United States, but it will not be done here.

Socialism--a Philosophy Incompatible with Man's Liberty

Another notable counterfeit system to the Lord's plan is collectivized socialism. Socialism derives its philosophy from the founders of communism, Marx and Engels. Communism in practice is socialism. Its purpose is world socialism, which the communists seek to achieve by revolution, and which the socialists seek to achieve by evolution. Both communism and socialism have the same effect upon the individual--a loss of personal liberty. As was said so well by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., "The two are as two peas in a pod in their ultimate effect upon our liberties."

Why is socialism incompatible with man's liberty? Socialism cannot work except through an all-powerful state. The state has to be supreme in everything. When individuals begin to exert their God-given rights, the state has to suppress that freedom. So belief in God must be suppressed, and with that gone freedom of conscience and religion must also go. Those are the first of our liberties mentioned in the Bill of Rights.

There are some among us who would confuse the united order with socialism. That is a serious misunderstanding. It is significant to me that the Prophet Joseph Smith, after attending lectures on socialism in his day, made this official entry in the Church history: "I said I did not believe the doctrine" (Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:33).

Socialism Disguised under Welfare State Measures

As citizens of this noble land, we have marched a long way down the soul-destroying road of socialism. If you question that statement, consider the recent testimonial from the Nobel prize-winning economist, Milton Friedman. He indicated that government spending in the United States at all levels amounts to over forty percent of today's total national income. If we continue to follow the trend in which we are heading today, two things will inevitably result: first, a loss of our personal freedom, and second, financial bankruptcy. This is the price we pay when we turn away from God and the principles which he has taught and turn to government to do everything for us. It is the formula by which nations become enslaved.

This nation was established by the God of heaven as a citadel of liberty. A constitution guaranteeing those liberties was designed under the superintending influence of heaven. I have recounted here before what took place in the St. George Temple when the Founding Fathers of this nation visited President Wilford Woodruff, who was then a member of the Twelve and not president of the Church. The republic which was established was the most nearly perfect system which could have been devised to lead men toward celestial principles. We may liken our system to the law of Moses which leads men to the higher law of Christ.

Today, two hundred years later, we must sadly observe that we have significantly departed from the principles established by the founders of our country. James Madison opposed the proposal to put Congress in the role of promoting the general welfare according to its whims in these words:

If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasure; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor. . . . Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for [and it was an issue then], it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America. [quoted in Donald L. Newquist, Prophets, Principles, and National Survival, p. 342]

That statement, given as a warning, has proved prophetic. Today Congress is doing what Madison warned about. Many are now advocating that which has become a general practice since the early 1930s: a redistribution of wealth through the federal tax system. That, by definition, is socialism!

Americans have always been committed to taking care of the poor, aged, and unemployed. We have done this on the basis of Judaic-Christian beliefs and humanitarian principles. It has been fundamental to our way of life that charity must be voluntary if it is to be charity. Compulsory benevolence is not charity. Today's socialists--who call themselves egalitarians--are using the federal government to redistribute wealth in our society, not as a matter of voluntary charity, but as a so-called matter of right. One HEW official said recently, "In this country, welfare is no longer charity, it is a right. More and more Americans feel that their government owes them something" (U.S. News and World Report, April 21, 1975, p. 49). President Grover Cleveland said--and we believe as a people--that though the people support the government the government should not support the people.

The chief weapon used by the federal government to achieve this "equality" is the system of transfer payments. This means that the federal governments collects from one income group and transfer payments to another by the tax system. These payments are made in the form of social security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and food stamps, to name a few. Today the cost of such programs has been going in the hole at the rate of 12 billion dollars a year; and, with increased benefits and greater numbers of recipients, even though the tax base has been increased we will have larger deficits in the future.

Today the party now in power is advocating and has support, apparently in both major parties, for a comprehensive national health insurance program--a euphemism for socialized medicine. Our major danger is that we are currently (and have been for forty years) transferring responsibility from the individual, local, and state governments to the federal government--precisely the same course that led to the economic collapse in Great Britain and New York City. We cannot long pursue the present trend without its bringing us to national insolvency.

Edmund Burke, the great British political philosopher, warned of the threat of economic equality. He said,

A perfect equality will indeed be produced--that is to say, equal wretchedness, equal beggary, and on the part of the petitioners, a woeful, helpless, and desperate disappointment. Such is the event of all compulsory equalizations. They pull down what is above; they never raise what is below; and they depress high and low together beneath the level of what was originally the lowest.



Are we part of the problem or part of the solution?

Recently a letter came to my office, accompanied by an article from your Daily Universe, on the matter of BYU students taking food stamps. The query of the letter was: "What is the attitude of the Church on taking food stamps?" The Church's view on this is well known. We stand for independence, thrift, and abolition of the dole. This was emphasized in the Saturday morning welfare meeting of general conference. "The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership" (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1936, p. 3).

When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers' money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them. You did not come to this University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society--to save society and to help to save this nation, the Lord's base of operations in these latter days, to ameliorate man's social conditions. You are not here to be a parasite or freeloader. The price you pay for "something for nothing" may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, "I am a contributing taxpayer too." By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency.

Society may rationalize immorality, but God cannot condone it. Society sponsors Sabbathbreaking, but the Church counsels otherwise. Society profanes the name of Deity, but Latter-day Saints cannot countenance it. Because society condones a dole, which demoralizes man and weakens his God-given initiative and character, can we?

I know what it is, as many of your faculty members do, to work my way through school, taking classes only during winter quarters. If you don't have the finances to complete your education, drop out a semester and go to work and save. You'll be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative. Wisdom comes with experience and struggle, not just with going through a university matriculation. I hope you will not be deceived by current philosophies which will rob you of your godly dignity, self-respect, and initiative, those attributes that make a celestial inheritance possible. It is in that interest, and that only, that I have spoken so plainly to you.

My Hope for You, the Youth of Zion

In opening my remarks to you, beloved youth of the Church, I attempted to share with you a vision of your eternal possibilities. In closing my remarks, I share with you my hope for you:

I hope that you learn through your struggles the joy of achievement.

I hope that you recognize in the gospel of Jesus Christ a solution to our problems, temporal and spiritual.

I hope that you marry well, live together in love, rear a family in righteousness, and have joy and rejoicing in your posterity.

I hope that you follow the example and counsel of him whom the Lord has appointed as prophet, seer, and revelator.

I hope that you learn the joy of work, the ability to postpone wants, and the economic independence not to be a slave to any man.

I hope that you keep yourselves clean morally and spiritually, that your confidence will wax strong in the presence of God, as the scriptures say, and the Holy Ghost will be your constant companion (see D&C 121:45–46).

I hope that you will be united in philosophy, purpose, and action to the laws of the celestial kingdom.

I pray God's choicest blessings on you, my beloved brethren and sisters. May I say to you that there isn't anything in this world that's right that the leadership of this Church wouldn't do for the youth of the Church; and so I hope and pray that you realize the hope of those who love you and serve you and the possibilities of your potential as sons and daughters of God. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE LAW OF CHASTITY - ABORTION AND MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS

For as passionate as I am about this topic, it is surprising that I have not had an entry up until now as part of my "Chastity Makes Sense" series of topics. I do plan on doing one on the ABCs of abortion - or the Abortion to Breast Cancer link at some point in the future. This one, however, deals with the extreme mental and emotional effects that abortions have on the women who get involved with them.

EXTREME PARODY - VERY FUNNY

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF OR OTHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF YOURSELF. THIS IS A BIG STEP IN THAT DIRECTION:

YOU TUBE VIDEO INTERVIEWING THE "HELL DIRECTOR"

IF THIS DOESN'T MAKE YOU LAUGH, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU.....

PLANNED PARENTHOOD SLAM ON CHRISTMAS

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A POLITICAL BLOG - JUST ONE TO DOCUMENT THE MORAL DECLINE OF AMERICA AND POINT OUT DOCTRINE AND PRACTICES THAT HAVE TURNED IT FROM THE LIGHT ON THE HILL TO THE SALT THAT HAS LOST IT'S SAVOR - AND YOU COULD THROW THE I IN THAT WORD AS WELL - AS UNSAVORY AS THAT PROSPECT IS....

THIS ABOUT MADE ME BARF WHEN I READ IT - "CHOICE ON EARTH" ABORTION GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR THE WOMAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING INCLUDING LOTS OF SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE AND THE INEVITABLE "OOOPS!" THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. IT SHOULD BE "PEACE ON EARTH" THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOU CHILDREN OF HELL.

I AM GETTING SICK OF THE POLITICALLY/SOCIALLY ALLOWABLE SLAMS AGAINST THE HUMBLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST WHO DO NOT NATURALLY REVILE AND FIGHT BACK, BUT WHO WILL TAKE THIS KIND OF GARBAGE BECAUSE WE ARE ASKED TO TURN THE OTHER CHEEK WHEN ATTACKED. IT DOES GET OLD AFTER A WHILE KNOWING THAT IF THIS WERE A SLAM AGAINST THE OTHER "PET" RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, THERE WOULD BE OUTRAGE AND THREATS AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.

OH WELL, THE BIAS WILL GET WORSE UNTIL WE GET AN INTERVENTION - AND, OH HOW THAT WILL BE SWEET AND SAVORY EXPERIENCE!!

HERE IS THE WORLDNETDAILY ARTICLE:

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MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Outrage erupts over Planned Parenthood Christmas 'gift' cards
'It is difficult to think of a more tasteless, ghoulish thing to give anyone'

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Posted: November 26, 2008
9:05 pm Eastern


By Bob Unruh
© 2008 WorldNetDaily



Planned Parenthood's "gift" certificates

Planned Parenthood, which in past years has promoted a "Choice on Earth" abortion campaigns during the Christmas season, has a new outreach, offering Christmas gift certificates to be used for abortions.

"It is difficult to think of a more tasteless, ghoulish thing to give anyone. I refuse to refer to these financial instruments as gifts as they are nothing more than a legal way to put a hit out on someone," said a participant in a forum at the online Lone Star Times, where the plan was reported.

"Planned Parenthood, this generation's King Herod, you know, the guy who ordered the mass slaughter of babies when Jesus was born," added WND columnist Jill Stanek, who also documented the plan on her blog.

(Story continues below)




According to the Lone Star Times, the nation's leading player in the abortion industry is "celebrating the most important crisis pregnancy of all time by selling gift certificates, perfect for the woman who has everything but moral fiber … And it's so much easier than finding the perfect 'Baby's First Christmas' ornament."

According to WISH-TV in Indianapolis, the controversial plan has people talking.

"People are making really tough decisions about putting gas in their car and food on their table, so we know that many women especially put healthcare at the bottom of their list to do," Chrystal Struben-Hall, an official for the abortion business, told the station.

The report said the certificates come in $25 increments and can be used for everything from birth control to $58 examinations that include breast exams and pap tests.

"They can be seen for sexually transmitted disease screenings, HIV tests and general prostate exams and those kinds of things," said Struben-Hall.

But can they be used for abortions?

Of course, Struben-Hall said. "We decided not to put restrictions on."

Stanek has campaigned to alert the American public of President-elect Barack Obama's extreme pro-abortion position. In fact, Obama considered partial birth abortion a "legitimate medical procedure" and opposed a requirement that abortionists provide life-preserving care for infants who survive abortion attempts, because of the burden it would impose on the abortionist.

On the Lone Star Times forums page, the reactions ranged from horror, to, well, horror:


"A gift for those who only want to kill the very innocent."


"Good for one dead baby."


"Redeem this at Planned Parenthood. No other redemption possible. Ever."


"I cannot think of a more evil organization."


"What a marvelous way for the donor as well as the recipient-user to have blood on their hands."


"No matter what you believe about abortions this has GOT to disgust people that you would 'give' that kind of thing as a gift to someone!?? I mean WHO would you give it to??? 'Here best friend in case you ever need an abortion.'"


"I met a woman once who CELEBRATED her abortion because she was 'happy that no MAN could tell her what to do with her body.' It was all I could do to walk away silently without puking in her face. She's the kind of person that would give all the women she knew one of these gift death certificates.
WND has reported Planned Parenthood's various "Choice on Earth" campaigns at Christmas.

One promotion included a "holiday" card that said, "'Tis the season to share with family, friends, colleagues and loved ones the message of 'choice on earth.'"

At that time Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International, slammed Planned Parenthood.

"In its continual attempt to 'normalize' abortion, Planned Parenthood has once again chosen to offend the Christian community by releasing the latest edition of its 'Choice on Earth' holiday cards," said Sedlak in a statement. "Contrary to the open-minded image the abortion organization aims to present for itself, Planned Parenthood has zero tolerance for anyone – or any religious group – that recognizes abortion as an evil act that kills a pre-born baby."

The controversial theme is derived from a passage in the Gospel of Luke, where an angel announces to shepherds the birth of their savior in Bethlehem.

The King James version of the Bible states: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

"By replacing 'peace' with 'choice,' or more accurately, 'killing the innocent on earth,' Planned Parenthood is essentially saying 'abortion on earth,'" Sedlak said. "This blatant mockery of Christian values – and of Christ Himself – truly demonstrates the bigoted, anti-religion, anti-God nature of Planned Parenthood."

WND reported during the 2008 presidential election campaign when Obama's team struck out at an abortion survivor.

It happened when an Obama advertisement implied the abortion survivor was part of a "sleazy" campaign for promoting a "despicable lie" about the senator's voting record.

Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen's responded, "I've dealt with worse; I survived an abortion."

As WND reported, the 31-year-old Jessen, who was born alive following her mother's botched abortion, made a television advertisement highlighting Obama's votes against born-alive infant protection bills while he was serving as a state senator in Illinois.

The Obama campaign responded with an advertisement of its own labeling Sen. John McCain's campaign ads as "sleazy" and "truly vile," while showing clips from Jessen's ad in the background, including a photo of Jessen.

Jessen then created another commercial in response, opening with clips of the Obama campaign's ad, which she says amounted to a personal attack.

"Seen this ad? In it, Senator Obama personally attacks me," Jessen says in the commercial. "I've dealt with worse; I survived an abortion."

THE STONE OF SCONE - DAVIDIC DYNASTIC LINE

This is a fascinating topic - just a seed article to get it started.

Israel has petitioned Great Britain to get this back. It probably will happen within my lifetime - the throne of David returned to Israel:

Stone of Destiny...Now Back in Scotland!

As most of you know, the Stone has now been moved from England to Scotland. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with this subject, I will very briefly reconstruct its significance in Bible prophecy.

This Stone is believed to be the original Pillar that Jacob dedicated to God after his all-night wrestling vigil with an angel. From all references, this stone represents the House of David that went into oblivion after the wicked king Zedekiah was dethroned by our Father and later blinded then killed along with his sons. Jacob's Pillar (The Stone of Destiny) was believed to have been subsequently carried by Jeremiah -- along with Zedekiah's two daughters -- to Ireland. Later, it went to Scotland, then England. Most scholars, along with this writer, see these three moves associated with Ezekiel 21:27: "27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him."

I have pondered prayerfully the significance of the recent moving of the Stone seeking more light on this move. In last months newsletter, I was looking more at the physical than the spiritual in coming to some conclusions. However, as always, I'm not bashful about redressing my comments when necessary. So, here goes. I now feel that the move has more spiritual significance than physical. Since I know without doubt that God's Word is sure, I simply could not lay this study to rest. I now lean strongly toward the following conclusions...based on the following facts...at least until more light is shed on the subject .

I did not take into account that the recent move of the Stone back to Scotland, would not represent a Biblical move because Scotland is yet under British rule! So, in reality, the Stone yet resides under the British Crown even though (physically) it's now back in Scotland; and the descendant House of David is also yet Biblically represented and intact! It will not be used ever again in the crowning of an earthly king because it has been announced that it will go on permenant display in Edinburg, Scotland. Therefore, this move obviously ended the Stone's role in the crowning of kings, ending with King George VI in 1936 ... the last king crowned over the Stone. That being the case, Messiah, according to Ezekiel, will be the next King over the House of David...so, the third "overturn" is yet in effect. In light of these facts, as stated last month, this move (after some 700 years) would seem to be significant as to just how close the Lord's return could be. In other words, from Zedekiah forward, Israel, as a nation, would have no king until Messiah comes (Gen. 49:10)...and true to prophecy, that has been the case. This means that the scattered and divided kingdom of Israel must be restored and Christ installed as her King..."the most holy", (Dan. 9:24). To document that the Kingdom of Israel was expected to be restored, look no further than Acts chapter 1 verses 6 & 7:

"6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." Can we know the times and seasons today? Two thousand years later? I believe so! Paul tells us that the signs and seasons can be known ... so we should be about learning about them. Note the word "restore"; which documents even by Jesus' answer, that some day in the future the Kingdom will be restored. The descendants of Israel, even back then, had been sacttered all over the then known world. However, today, they are literally scattered worldwide: "Yet will I leave a *remnant* (of the House of Judah), that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.", ( Ezekiel 6:8). These scattered ones shall be recovered: "*I will* accept you with your sweet savour, when *I bring* you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and *I will* be sanctified in you before the heathen.", (Ezekiel 20:41).

This regathering will take place when Messiah, Yahshua, Jesus Christ, returns. Let's look at this miracle as seen through the eyes of Ezekiel in chapter 37.

Verse 19: "Say unto them (Israel), Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph (House of Joseph), which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah (House of Judah), and make them one stick (one nation), and they shall be one in *mine hand*."

These sticks are literal wooden sticks which were used to represent the divided Kingdom of Israel which had become the House of Judah and the House of Israel. (See 1 Kings 11) The two sticks mentioned in Ezekiel are not books or scrolls -- they are people -- as the Scriptures will document. The sticks simply represent people. Note verses 16 & 17: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."

The word "stick" is literal; that is, it means a stick of wood -- not a book or scroll. (See Strong's No. H6086) Therefore, in writing the name of Judah on one stick and the name of Joseph on the other, is simply showing the separation or division of God's People, Israel, and that by a miracle, He will rejoin them into one people. Our Father says that when asked about the meaning of this joining, tell them as follows: Verse 20: "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick (the House or people) of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim (whose leader was Ephraim -- at that time), and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah (join them with the House or people of Judah -- the remnant), and make them one stick (one people), and they shall be one (a single nation, as in the beginning) in mine hand." Verse 22 confirms that these two sticks represent people who have been scatterd to the four winds -- but will be reunited when Christ returns; read carefully:

"22 And I will make them *one nation* (one stick, one people) in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king (Christ) shall be king to them *all* (Shiloh; Whose right the Stone of Destiny represents): and they shall be no more two nations (two sticks), neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:" Can Christ be a King over anything except people? These two sticks being joined are specifically used to remind the descendants of Israel, even today, that they will yet be reunited into one nation -- a single people -- in the original land given to Abraham!

So, this movement of the Stone of Destiny could very well be the beginning of a chain of events to shape the world -- and prepare His remnant today -- for the things about to come to pass; the false Messiah shall come first and try to fake uniting the people (Daniel 9:27) under the promised covenant of peace, but he will fail. He will pass himself off as Israel's Messiah, and Christianity's Christ.

Watchmen should be watching as never before. This thumb-nail overview is covered this month because of what I believe to be, additional light on the Stone's recent move.

Yahshua's richest blessings to you and yours. Serving in and for Him.

From: Jack Phillips

PRIDE - THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

Few things are totally transformational in life that they cause a total course correction to happen. One of them for me was a talk on Pride by Ezra T. Benson back when I was seriously stuck on myself. This single talk really made me take a good look at myself and ask a few questions about what makes me tick. Here it is. I will probably add commentary to it as time goes along and I find more relevant material on it:

ATTEMPTS BY GAY ACTIVISTS TO UNDERMINE MY MOST SACRED RELIGIOUS RITE - MARRIAGE

MY OBJECT IN THIS BLOG IS NOT TO MAKE IT A POLITICAL BLOG - SO DO NOT TAKE IT AS SUCH. THE ATTACK ON THE MORAL MAJORITY BY A GROUP LESS THAN 5% OF THE POPULATION IS FAR MORE A MORAL ISSUE THAN A POLITICAL ONE. MY RELIGION DOES NOT EXPRESSLY SUPPORT POLITICAL CANDIDATES OR PARTIES BUT HAS ALWAYS RESERVED THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT CLEARLY ON MORAL ISSUES AND THUS MAINTAIN OUR CHARITABLE STATUS. ANYONE WHO TRIES TO DENY ME THIS RIGHT HAS CLEARLY CROSSED A LINE AND WILL BE DEALT WITH DECISIVELY.

BELOW IS A GREAT ARTICLE EXPLAINING THE LDS POSITION ON PROP 8 FOR WHICH I EXPECT TO TAKE SOME HEAT AS A SO-CALLED "BIGOT". THE FACTS ARE BELOW. WE ARE JUST THE LITTLE GUY (2% OF CALIFORNIA'S POPULATION) SO WE TAKE THE MOST HEAT BY THE 5% (WHO IS BEATING UP ON WHO?). CALL RIGHTS TO SEE A 'LOVED ONE' IN THE HOSPITAL SOMETHING ELSE AND YOU HAVE NO FIGHT. CALL IT MARRIAGE AND FURTHER IMPINGE ON A SACRED ETERNAL ORDINANCE OF MINE AND YOU WILL HAVE A FIGHT ON YOUR HANDS - SOMETHING YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE. YOU MIGHT AS WELL TRY AND TAKE MY KIDS OUT OF MY GRASP AS ATTEMPT TO ASSAULT THAT PRINCIPLE WITHOUT A FIGHT. FIRST A WAR OF WORDS - THEN SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED WHEN A SMALL GROUP OF FOLKS IN THE SOUTH TRIED TO IMPOSE THEIR VALUE SET ON THE MORAL MAJORITY IN THE NORTH....

WE WERE DRIVEN AND SCOURGED OVER OUR 'IMMORAL' AND 'GROSS' STANCE ON POLYGAMY IN THE LATE 1800'S. WE WERE STRIPPED OF ALL OUR RIGHTS BECAUSE WE WERE NOT MORALLY ON THE 'INSIDE' - BECAUSE WE DID NOT BELIEVE IN THE STAUNCH IDEA OF JUST ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN. NOW WE ARE CALLED IMMORAL YET AGAIN PRECISELY BECAUSE WE FIND COURAGE TO CLEARLY STATE THAT MARRIAGE IS DEFINE PRECISELY AS BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.

WHAT INSANE CHAPTER WE EMBARK UPON. DO NOT CROSS LINES. THE RESULTS WILL BE CATASTROPHIC FOR THIS NATION AND PEOPLE THAT DEFIES GOD'S WAYS - YES, NOT THE MORMON'S WAYS, BUT GOD'S WAYS.

Thanks to Phil Wasden for sending this letter.

“In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong. In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do. I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better. For example:

Latter-Day Saints make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.

Latter-Day Saints voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, and Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Latter-Day Saints were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

Not all Latter-Day Saints voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or herself. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Hold your heads up high – you did a great job on this most important cause. We will have more opportunities in the future to participate in our democratic process. Let's remember the lessons learned and do an even better job next time.

These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official Church policy or doctrine.”

Thanks,
Kevin Hamilton

PROPHECY FULFILLED - THE MOUNT OF OLIVES SHALL CLEAVE IN TWAIN, DEAD SEA HEALED

I am constantly bombarded by people who think the Bible is a crock. So I always ask "Just what do you know about geology or geography? ------ Cuz let's take a little ride you and me...... heh, heh, heh...."

This is one of the little factoids that I love to put in their craws to chew on.

So there is this nice little prophecy by Zechariah about the moment of Justice when Christ returns in the heavens at the height of murderous bloodshed of the inhabitants of Jerusalem - and places his foot on the Mount of Olives. At that point, the mount is cleaved in twain (two) and it provides a clean escape for the remaining Jews who have survived. The conquering forces of Gog and Magog are then destroyed and the people worship their King and recognize his real identity by the prints in his hands and in his feet.

Then he says, "These are the wounds that I received in the house of mine friends". What joy and what simultaneous profound sorrow at this critical point of history.

Here is the article on the findings of the geologists who were seismic sounding for oil in the area and found a fault line that bisects the Mount of Olives:

THE WORD OF WISDOM - A WORD TO THE WISE

Finally!! Something to sink my teeth into when someone asks me why caffeine is bad juju.

Read below to see the link to over 100mg of caffeine and low birth weight and miscarriage problems in pregnancy:

Even a little caffeine may harm fetus
Women should avoid more than 100 milligrams a day from any source

Most viewed on msnbc.com

updated 6:45 a.m. PT, Mon., Nov. 3, 2008
LONDON - Pregnant women who consume caffeine — even about a cup of coffee daily — are at higher risk of giving birth to an underweight baby, researchers said on Monday.

The new findings published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) also linked any source of caffeine, including that from tea, cola, chocolate and some prescription drugs, to relatively slower fetal growth.

The findings are the latest in mounting evidence indicating the amount of caffeine a person consumes may directly impact one's health, especially when pregnant.

In January, U.S. researchers found that pregnant women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are at twice the risk of having a miscarriage as those women who avoid caffeine.

Babies born underweight are more likely to develop a range of health conditions when they grow older, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.

Women who drank one to two cups of coffee daily, or between 100-199 milligrams, had a 20 percent increased risk of having a baby of low birth weight, the study found. This was compared to women who consumed less than 100 milligrams daily.

"Caffeine consumption during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction and this association continued throughout pregnancy," Justin Konje at the University of Leicester in Britain and colleagues wrote.

"Sensible advice would be to reduce caffeine intake before conception and throughout pregnancy."

Limit to less than 100 milligrams a day
Konje and his team — which included researchers from the University of Leeds — looked at 2,645 women at an average age of 30 who were between 8 and 12 weeks pregnant.

The women reported an average caffeine consumption during pregnancy of 159 milligrams per day, lower than new recommended limits of 200 milligrams in Britain.


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The likelihood of having a low birth weight baby rose to 50 percent for women who consumed between 200 milligrams and 299 milligrams each day, about two to three cups of coffee.

The impact was about the same as from alcohol and the association with low birth weight was maintained throughout a woman's pregnancy, the study found.

Even small amounts may prove harmful but Konje said in a telephone interview the best advice was to limit caffeine consumption to below 100 milligrams a day.

"We couldn't say that there was a lower limit for which there is no effect," he said. "My advice is if possible to reduce caffeine intake to a minimum. You have to be realistic because you can't ask people to stop taking caffeine."

HERE IS THE LATEST RESEARCH ON HOT DRINKS AND ESOPHOGEAL CANCER. MAYBE THERE WAS MORE TO "HOT DRINK" THING IN SECTION 89 THAN WE REALIZED....:

Tea: Some like it hot, but that raises cancer risk

Residents of Golestan province in northern Iran have one of the highest rates of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma in the world. They don't drink alcohol or smoke — the two primary risk factors for the disease in the West — but they do consume tea. Lots of it. Nearly 1.2 liters a day, on average.

By Karen Kaplan

Los Angeles Times

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Is there anything left that isn't linked to cancer?

Not hot tea, apparently. An international group of scientists has connected it with esophageal cancer. The problem doesn't appear to be the tea but the temperature at which it is consumed, the study found.

Residents of Golestan province in northern Iran have one of the highest rates of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma in the world. They don't drink alcohol or smoke — the two primary risk factors for the disease in the West — but they do consume tea. Lots of it. Nearly 1.2 liters a day, on average.

Local researchers set out looking for a connection.

They recruited 300 esophageal-cancer patients who were diagnosed at the only gastrointestinal-specialty clinic in the eastern part of Golestan and matched them up with 571 healthy controls who shared their age, gender and place of residence. All but one drank tea, and they gave interviewers information about their tea consumption and brewing habits.

Teaming up with investigators from the United States, England, France and Sweden, the researchers calculated that people who said they drank "hot" tea — 149 to 156 degrees Fahrenheit — were more than twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer as people who said they drank the beverage "warm" or "lukewarm": less than 140 degrees.

Those who said they took their tea "very hot" — at least 158 degrees — were more than eight times as likely to get esophageal cancer, according to the study, published online Thursday in BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.

The researchers also asked people how long they waited to drink their tea after pouring it. Those who said they waited two to three minutes were nearly 2.5 times more likely to develop the cancer compared with people who said they waited at least four minutes. Impatient tea drinkers who waited fewer than two minutes were 5.4 times as likely to be diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the study found.

The study didn't assess the mechanism linking hot tea to esophageal cancer, but the researchers said the temperature of the liquid was almost certainly to blame rather than the compounds in the tea.

In an editorial accompanying the study, David Whiteman of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, advised tea drinkers in Iran and elsewhere to simply exercise some patience and wait at least four minutes before enjoying their favorite beverage.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

AND - LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT THE SCOURGE IN SECTION 89 WAS REFERRING TO. I KNOW THAT WE WILL HAVE A SCOURGE AFFLICT THE SAINTS IN THE LAST DAYS AND HAVE NEVER REALLY DUG INTO WHAT IT MIGHT BE CAUSED BY OR HOW WE MIGHT AVOID IT. NOW I HAVE SOME DEFINITIVE PROOF/ANSWER TO THAT VERY QUESTION AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT IT WILL BE LINKED TO COFFEE OR ALCOHOL USAGE AND THOSE WHO USE MEAT SPARINGLY AND WITH THANKSGIVING WILL FARE BETTER THAN THOSE OF THE WORLD WHO CHOOSE NOT TO OBEY GOD'S LAWS:

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, B YOUNG 15:193


I refer to a revelation given in the year 1833, called the Word of Wisdom. We fail to obey it to-day, and we shall fail to-morrow unless we make a short turn and determine in our own minds that we will obey it. How many of us have disregarded that revelation, in every particular? It is to be found on New HLINK 240 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and it shadows to me that a time will come in the midst of this people when a desolating scourge will pass through our ranks, and the destroying angel will be in our midst as he was in Egypt when he slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians. God says "The destroying angel shall pass by" and shall not harm you if you will observe to do these things.

THE SCOURGE WILL BE SO BAD THAT IT WILL AFFECT EVERY HOUSE - BUT THE SAINTS WHO KEEP THE LAW WILL LARGELY BE SPARED. I EXPECT THIS TO BE AN ENGINEERED BIOLOGIC THAT SOMEHOW FLOURISHES IN AN (BLOOD) ACID RICH ENVIRONMENT THAT CANCERS THRIVE IN AND THAT THE STRICT KEEPING OF THE WORD OF WISDOM VIRTUALLY ELIMINATES. IT WILL BE AN EXCITING TIME AND IT COMES SOONER THAN ANYONE ANTICIPATES.

PROPHETIC UTTERANCE AND THE HEISENBERG PRINCIPLE

I can thank my wife, Shawna, for getting me up to speed on this little gem of a principle regarding physics and agency of man and all of God's creations down to the smallest particle.

With all of my physics classes to ready me for Engineering, I just remember a snippet of the Heisenberg principle, but Shawna brought it to life for me from her simple (one and only) Physical Sciences class at BYU. Here is a link to the basic definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

The nuts and bolts of it state that there are three basic variables that affect every single thing that we do in this temporal-based world; event, time of a specific event, and location of the event. Relating to any given event, you cannot state/measure/plan for, etc. the place of a known event without (to at least an infinitesimally small degree) affecting the time of the event and vice versa.

Such is the nature of preserving agency of man, beast, element, etc. God will not hedge us in as to the three things that make each event in our lives have meaning. To violate this basic principle would cause God to cease to be God (he must follow His own laws and eternal principles - a whole other blog topic quoting Cleon Skousen and the First Thousand Years). Thus the seeming ambiguity of prophecy that is given to mankind for their benefit.

For example, we can say that a (non-specific) 'life changing' event will occur on a specific date and at a specific location (HARD TIME, HARD LOCATION), but no hard specifics will be given for the event. A similar prophecy could be given with hard statements about a life changing event (lets say a car crash that leaves the subject paralyzed from the waist down) on a specific day (HARD EVENT AND TIME) but the location variable would be fuzzy or non-specific. The third possibility would be for an individual to receive an impression that the same paralyzing crash would occur at a busy high speed intersection (HARD EVENT AND LOCATION), but the time might be fuzzy or non-existent in the prophetic utterance. If all three variables were known to an individual, the individual could just simply thwart that future event/prophecy by avoiding that area on that day and, just to be sure, borrowing a friend's semi to drive around, thus ensuring that they would be on the giving end of any injury in a potential collision.

So it is with prophecy of any kind. I am yet to find any forward looking statements in any scripture or inspired statements that declare all three variables with surety. Even any that Jesus stated in Matthew 24 simply state two of the three - never three of three. If I do find something that someone is trying to float as prophecy with all three variables spelled out, I can, of a surety throw it out and dismiss it categorically as false. Thus the statement on the second coming of Christ where the event and places are clearly spelled out - and then the statement "No man knows the hour". Not even Christ himself knows, the Father only. That is strong - but spells out how tightly that principle of agency is maintained.

MORE TO COME AS I FIND SCIENCE ARTICLES THAT CORROBORATE THIS PRINCIPLE. CHECK BACK IN A YEAR OR TWO.

VISION OF SOLS GUARDISTO - COMING HUMANITARIAN DISASTER

This is a vision of Sols Guardisto written to President Woods of the Cardston, Alberta Temple (Pres Woods is not related to me - the Northern Utah Wood line:


Mrs. Sols Guardisto was one of the 50,000 people who toured the Cardston Temple prior to its dedication in 1923. While in the temple she had a very unusual experience, which is told below as she wrote to President Wood of the Cardston Temple. She was not a member of the Church at the time, but she has since joined.

"We have been to the temple erected by your church, wherin the sacred rites are to be performed in accordance with your faith. The first time I was strongly impelled to describe to you my impressions.

It seemed as though the Temple was filled with the actual spiritual bodies of these previous leaders of the

Church, each seeming to have a definite work to do, automatically taking up in the spirit world the work that person was engaged in whilst in the flesh. In that Temple I saw persons who were leaders of your Church, during its march across the American Desert, now engaged in helping those patriarchs under whose orders they seemed to be working. It was these leaders of your Church, or spiritual leaders, if I may use that term, who seemed instructed to show me the scenes here recorded.

I can give no time as to the happenings except that the impressions I received were of the actual present or immediate future.

I saw first a brief but comprehensive sketch of the present state of the world, or, as you would term it, the Gentile Kingdom. Each country in turn was shown its anarchy, hunger, ambitions, distrusts, and warlike activities, etc., and in my mind was formed from some source the words, "As it is today with the Gentiles."

I saw next international war break out with its center upon the Pacific Ocean, but sweeping and encircling the whole glove. I saw that the opposing forces were roughly divided by so-called Christianity on one side, and by the so-called followers of Mohammed and Buddha upon the other. I saw the great driving power within these so-called Christian Nations was the Great Apostasy in all its political, social, and religious aspects. I saw the world-wide dislocation and devastation of production and slaughter of people occur more swiftly and upon a larger scale than ever before. I saw an antagonism begin to express itself from those so-called Christian nations against your people. I saw those of a similar faith to yours in the Far East begin to look toward Palestine for safety.

I saw the international world war automatically break down, and national revolutions occur in every country and complete the work of chaos and desolation. I saw geological disturbances occur, which helped in this work as if it were intended to do so. I saw the Cardston Temple preserved from all this geological upheaval. I saw the international boundary line disappear as these two governments broke up an dissolved into chaos. I saw race rioting upon this American continent on a vast scale.

I saw hunger and starvation in this world granary of the American continent sweep off vast numbers of the conflicting elements. I saw disease produced by hunger, strife, and chaos complete the end of this present order or epoch…"

Mrs. Guardisto goes on to describe the preparations allegedly made by the future Church leaders to endure catastrophic conditions in the world.

"I saw Cardston and the surrounding foothills, especially West and North, for miles being prepared for a refuge for your people, quietly but quickly.

I saw artesian wells bored and other wells dug all over that territory, so that when the open waters were polluted and poisoned, the people of the Church and their cattle would be provided for. I saw the fuel resources of the district developed in many places, and vast piles of coal and timbers stored for future use and building.

I saw the elders, still under divine guidance, counseling and encouraging the planting of every available acre of soil in this district, so that large supplies could be near the refuge. I saw the Church property under cultivation of an intensified character, not for sale or profit, but for the use of the people. I saw the inspired officers giving instructions as to what would be the best crops to plant and cultivate, not for profit but for use in storage at the time of chaos. I saw the territory carefully surveyed and mapped out for the camping of a great body of people of the Church. I saw provisions also made for a big influx of people who at present do not belong to the Church, but who will gather in their tribulation. I saw inspiration given the elders whereby the quality, quantity, and kind of things to be stored were judged, which might not be attainable in this territory during the time of chaos.."

More to come on visions of the future of massive refuge camps located in the Eastern foothills of the Oquirrhs - camps covering tens of square miles. I believe this to be the prime reason we have been commanded to have a food supply - to absorb the short term crisis of millions of people overloading basic

PUTTING OFF BABYLON - BEING IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT

Being a father of four (five) children who have to be in this world - but not immersed in it's sin-laden nature, I like this quote by Brigham Young (quoted from Mosiah Hancock's diary:

In the summer of 1862, President Brigham Young came through Dixie. The people were so glad to see him that they took every means in their power to make everything as comfortable for him as possible. I remember too, when he stopped at Harrisberg at the time Dr. Pridy Meeks, my brother-in-law, and I, with our families were living in willow rooms that joined. The President stopped with us. He sat at the head of the table and had me sit down at his right. The President, when everything was ready, asked a blessing, then all began to eat. He asked for some buttermilk; then crumbed some bread in it and began to eat. He conversed freely on the situation of the Saints in the mountains, and said that he dreaded the time when the Saints would become popular with the world; for he had seen in sorrow, in a dream, or in dreams, this people clothed in the fashions of Babylon and drinking in the spirit of Babylon until one could hardly tell a Saint from a black-leg. And he felt like shouting, "To your tents, Oh Israel!" because it was the only thing that could keep the people pure. "I know that my families court the ways of the world too much," said he, "And our hope lies in the Lamanites. I hope that you brethren who labor among the Indians will be kind to them. Remember that someday they will take their position as the rightful heir to the principles of life and salvation, for they never will give up the principles of this Gospel. Many of this people for the sake of riches and popularity, will sell themselves for that which will canker their souls and lead them down to misery and despair. It would be better for them to dwell in wigwams among the Indians than to dwell with the gentiles and miss the glories which God wishes them to obtain. I wish my families would see the point and come forth before it is too late. For oh, I can see a tendency in my families to hug the moth-eaten customs of Babylon to their bosoms. This is far more hurtful to them than the deadly viper; for the poisons of the viper can be healed by the power of God, but the customs of Babylon will be hard to get rid of."