We are in an unprecedented era of technology and change and our individual ability to affect the lives of millions. It is our duty and responsibility to share our lives and our personal observations of the world with those who freely search your opinion.
The Disney movie The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer opened in the summer 2013. The mere title stirs emotions and hopes in the hearts of those who remember the old black and white television series. That is probably the first and foremost hurdle for the success of this movie to conquer. Did it produce successful results? This movie was long anticipated and Johnny Depp always draws a crowd. Can a first run superhero movie steal the show from opening night?
I remember the original series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels of the Mohawk tribe. To a young child they were the crest of Old West superheroes. The Lone Ranger was the reason we mounted our broomstick with a plastic horse head. They formed for us an assumed glory of the Old West that helped pave the way for how we viewed the world around us. It gave us courage and a sense of justice. Melissa And Doug Prance-N-Play Stick Unicorn (Google Affiliate Ad)
The Disney reincarnation of The Lone Ranger was a quaint cinematic production but hardly a credit to the original legend or memory of The Lone Ranger that most of us know and have come to love. As stated at the top it is hard to compete with the foundation of a legend. In order to view this film production objectively you must first strip any notions of the original series. It is vital in order to prevent association disappointments between the new and old duo. To go into the theater afresh is a task for any review.
From an objective standpoint there are some issues i'd like to address regarding this new rendition:
I've always enjoyed Johnny Depp and consider him one of the most unique actors of our time. Having said that, due to his popularity I don't believe he is a good match with Armie Hammer. There is too great a "credit" divide between the two actors. The movie title is The Lone Ranger and logic dictates that the primary focus should be on that character. Don't get me wrong, Johnny Depp made an intriguing Tonto. However, I believe he would've meshed better with a little more known actor like perhaps Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen is not as credited as Depp in the public eye but given his role in the huge success of The Lord of the Rings he would have made a good fit.
The credibility of the Ranger as a capable and knowledgeable crime fighter is seriously undermined in this new movie. Agreed, a learning curve for any superhero needs to be employed through any movie series like Ironman or Thor, but aside from John Reid's brilliance in law he is cast as a complete moron in tact, courage and basic human relationship knowledge.
Silver, the white horse. What's the deal with the horse? Did the producers have such a lack of confidence in Depp and Hammer that they had to trump up the horse to not only superhero status but also a gravity-defying one? I think the movie finally lost me when I saw Silver standing up on a tree limb. A 500-pound horse walking on top of a burning and weak barn roof, maybe, but on a tree limb? I get more pleasure watching Charlie the Unicorn.
I was not overly impressed with the 2013 release of The Lone Ranger from a legend standpoint. However, from a Friday night movie flick standpoint I recommend the film. It's not a badly produced film. It'll get it's ratings but it far underscores what it could have been. A better lead actor for Kimosabe, a firmer foundation for the actor to build on and a strong horse that doesn't stand on tree branches.
Getting right to the point we are at the point where clear decisions need to be made regarding the government of the United States. It is clear as never before that the American people, way of life and the fabric of the Constitution of the United States has been betrayed by the hidden agendas of a conglomerate of players in Washington D.C. and throughout the nation and world. When we come to a point where we witness absolute disgusting and revolting demonstrations of beheadings and point blank shootings on our viewer by those who are financed and armed by the very government that claim global superior morality, it is time to appoint new protectors, guards and sentinels for our liberty. Valley Forge Flag LIB-C Solar (Google Affiliate Ad)
Let's put this in as clear terms as we can. My fellow Americans, when you labor for meager living in your factories affording Uncle Sam his excess share you are financing a tapestry of horror. When you work for an overbearing condescending boss just to scrape a living, yet surely paying taxes, you are advocating our government stripping faith from our rooms of learning yet establishing a state religion built on bloodshed and murder. When you sweat laying concrete highways in 100 + degree weather just to make ends meet while being mandated to pay your taxes, you are enabling the powers that be to arm and finance those who have no regard for basic life - even to the beheading with a dull kitchen knife.
What say you America! You were reserved to come forth and be born on this land in this country for a reason. You are inheritors and benefactors of those who've sacrificed so much to preserve the liberty you enjoy. Your destiny in the eyes of God are absolute. Choose good over evil and ye shall prosper. Compromise your values little by little and you'll lose everything - even unto your very soul. That's what is at stake for Americans. We really do have a moral responsibility and obligation to the world. Believe it or not many nations look toward us for this leadership. Currently, they thirst for it because it cannot be found even in American representation.
When we have a White House spokesman that just shakes his head on television for public sentiment at continued questions over Benghazi just a few months after the murder of four Americans in Libya then it's time to clean house. When we have a State Department Secretary conveniently step down just when her answers to questions were most needed then it's time to break out the 409 in Washington. When the bloated IRS is proven to withhold liberties on certain individuals and groups in America then it's time to get out the brillo pads. When demographics in the inner metropolitan cities dictate national elections over the rest of the more sane nation it is time consult Mr. Clean. When our military chaplains are mandated to no longer display the Holy Bible for political correctness then it's time for a little surgery on a big cancer. There is a crystal clear pattern of disassociation from all accountability by our Administration.
I am not a conspiracy theorist. I believe that many who subscribe to conspiracies endanger their field of view of simpler explanations. However, I do know right and wrong. I do know when an individual, group or country is under the influence of an adverse power and influence bent on the destruction of the basic unit of family and individual choice and accountability. Yes, even bent on the destruction of an individual's ability to prosper and pursue happiness. Individuality Beads Sterling Silver Crystal, American Flag Star And (Google Affiliate Ad)
We've seen beheading videos before and unfortunately we've become all but desensitized to them. The murderer parades the head then places it on the street. The common chant in the Arab tongue is "Allah is great!" Can you tell me in all honesty how these types of groups and mindsets can be reasoned with? How can diplomacy thrive with those who view life as being only for the fittest? It is our duty as American citizens to reject the support of countries who demonstrate inhumane actions. I don't give a rats #$^%$% if they are a different people with a different culture and that we should strive to "understand" them. We are Americans who are supposed to be standing for truth and right.
This is not the America established by our Founding Fathers. Our government was to have been forged out of the refining fires of past tyranny and unrest. Our Fathers designed this country under the inspiration of the Father of all heaven to be governed of, by and for the people. Many cultures throughout history enjoyed a 200-400 year cycle. You will notice a rise in prosperity brought on by hard work and industry coupled with strong families and traditional values recognizing God in all things. During that prosperity you see a segment of apathy and entitlement where hard work is shunned, and gain at the expense of the neighbor is the means of happiness. Then comes the sharp decline of all morality and especially liberty. Before you know it either the people all end in bloodshed or totalitarianism and communism fills the vacuum of power.
I pray for the spirit of America. I pray for the foundation of America that it may be resolute and true. I pray that it be not made a wolf in sheep's clothing. I pray that this people will steer their thoughts away from what they think they are entitled to and start thinking about what they need to do to secure a nurturing home and family full of faith, love and liberty. I pray that unwavering dignity and integrity be restored to the White House and the halls of Congress. May they come to reflect the true interest of the American heart.
Scores of young men and young women from ages 14-18 set out this past week on a 27 mile trek as part of their Council Bluffs Iowa Stake Youth Conference. They started out in Imogene, Iowa and trekked west toward the Tabor area. It was an inspiring event for all. Memories and lessons learned will carry with them throughout their life. Clothed in pioneer-type apparel they were organized into families and assigned hand carts to pull. In an age of excess convenience it often takes reenactments like this to bring us back into focus. It takes a taste of hardship to help us realize the sacrifices that were made to ensure our way of life.
The Mormon Pioneer experience extended over a 1,000 mile stretch across the Midwest into the Salt Lake Valley in the 1840s and 50s. It was an essential product of years of persecution from other "would be" Christian factions and others just scared and paranoid of the faith and industry of the Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith, the translator of the Book of Mormon, was murdered in cold blood along with his brother, Hyrum, in Carthage, Illinois. This was an addition to the scores of other Latter-day Saints murdered previous and after this time. This escalated persecution and perpetuated the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints from their homes near the Mississippi River in Nauvoo, Illinois.
After a miracle which enabled the Saints to cross the Mississippi they endured extreme hardships and immense death in their journey across Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and into Utah. Many families lost children, mothers and fathers especially during the winter of 1846-7 at Winter Quarters in what is now the Council Bluffs/north Omaha area. They pulled handcarts through deep mud and relentless shoulder high grass. They trekked across the ice and snow which barely allowed them to dig graves for their children. Though incredible pains were endured it was apparent that it was part of the plan of God to place these select Latter-day Saint families into a Refiner's Fire that they may come forth purified and exalted to stations of respect and honor with a legacy never more to be forgotten.
These families that these youth were organized in at one point had to endure, just as their forebears in the 1800s, the loss of the men. The men were removed as a reenactment of the calling of the Mormon Battalion. It is fascinating to comprehend. The Mormon Pioneers, though rejected by their government and countrymen for their faith, were fierce advocates of the Constitution of the United States and the founding principles of this great land. When the government came and asked for volunteers to aid in the Mexican War the men were encourages to stand and be counted. What an incredible burden these women had to bear in continuing the wagon train across the wilderness without the strength and manpower of their husbands, fathers and sons! They were eventually returned just as when the War ended to help their wives, mothers and children continue the journey.
An interesting note is that they were all given pins each with a name of an actual Pioneer. At the end of the journey and all were assembled to discuss their feelings it was announced that all who wore a brown pin had died on the trek. Place yourself in that scene and feel the humbled atmosphere. Then we can begin to appreciate the sacrifice of the Saints.
Many would ask, why? Why would they endure such a thing? Why wouldn't they just forsake their faith and assimilate into society? Why would any God allow such distress to take place among any of His children? In order to answer these questions we must look toward today and see the fruits of the hardships and labors of our Mormon Pioneers. Without these efforts millions of hungry around the world would not have been fed. Hundreds of thousands would not have clean water and been taught how to install well systems. Millions would not have been equipped with essential life skills learned from the Boy Scouts of America, which program the Latter-day Saints have long since advocated. Without these efforts you might as well have cut off most of the American West clear through Iowa. The entire landscape and demographics today wouldn't even be recognized in comparison had the Mormon Pioneer experience not taken place.
In my humble opinion the greatest affect is on the American family. The Mormons have always centralized the family as being the beginning and the end of all mortal and eternal existence. As spelled out in the Proclamation to the World the traditional family as designed by God is with a mother and father rearing their children in the home. They would be reared in righteousness and taught to not just fear God but more importantly to develop a personal relationship with Him. Had the Pioneer experience not happened the decay of the family that we see today would have been accelerated ten fold. Imagine where we'd be as a people today.........
I'm grateful that the Mormon Pioneer experience was granted to these modern youth. I'm grateful that they had that taste in order to more fully appreciate their own heritage. Through this exercise their convictions to God deepened and their association with the Pioneers strengthened. They are now armed more fully to go out into the world as they will soon be adults, and become loving responsible parents and Constitution endearing citizens with the spirit of liberty always in their hearts.
Just in the past few days the BSA Boy Scouts of America has voted to lift a long-standing policy rejecting the inclusion of openly gay boys into their troops. This lift on policy does not extend to adult Scout leaders. The biggest supporters of BSA are various churches such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic and Baptist. The news of the vote in support of the lift came as no surprise given the social climate we are in. However, after silent pondering over the support my own faith has given this initiative I have come to terms with the change.
I am a Latter-day Saint and the church has announced support for allowing same-gender attracted boys into their various troops. Of course this is uncomfortable and change always is. However, the difference is in how we act on our impulses. We can debate the "morally straight" phrase from the Scout Oath all we want but the fact remains that with all the problems young people face these days many can still lead a morally straight life. Don't get me wrong, up until recently I was vehemently opposed to the action. Though I don't share the lifestyle, as long as those tendencies aren't being taught to my sons who am I to deny that individual the opportunity to learn such vital skills that the Boy Scouts of America has an impeccable history of teaching?
My views remain the same on the issue at large. It is the design of God for a man and a woman to join in institution of marriage. With the potential of procreation the family is central to the design of eternal progress. Only under those two elements, man and woman, can the term "marriage" be authorized by God. Now, having said that it is also true that we are all mortal humans prone to various conditions and environments. I submit that it may be that an individual might be prone or more easily tempted in the direction of same-gender attraction. In many cases it is definitely learned. In many cases it is encouraged by family, peers and environment. At the same time I cannot discount the possibility that there may be some genetic or other form of physical contributor to homosexual tendencies. I just don't know. Heck, I was born to be short so how does that change the field of opportunities for me in contrast to one who is homosexual?
Though I solidly remain with traditional values I also cannot let that blind me to the reality of compassion and understanding. I believe it a disgrace that organizations are being pressured and outright forced to open their doors wide open to those who don't share their moral or religious values. Part of the beauty of America is the right to assembly in however fashion we deem fit. Though this has deepened harsh feelings on both sides it has also opened our eyes that we can treat one another with kindness, understanding and with respect. We don't need to tear this country apart out of fear that we aren't included in a group, or that we fear a group's survival due to pressured legislation to include those we've originally deemed unqualified.
Yes, I do believe there is an active agenda to destroy good organizations through the means of pressured legislation. Were it not so advocacy groups would gleefully opt to form their own organization. Yet, there is a point when the people must say enough is enough.
I will support the BSA new policy to include these new young men as long as it is not an openly advertised orientation. This way all young men can continue to learn and form friendships and bonds of camaraderie. I will never support the inclusion of same-gender attracted Scout leaders. I believe the risk is too great and crosses the boundaries of appropriateness. The problems arise with heterosexual tendencies alone. We don't want to compound the problem with a new issue.
I welcome all young men to the Boy Scouts of America who are willing to abide by a code of conduct and ethics and who are willing to control and keep at bay any and all sexual tendencies. This is a big step for me but I admit that I'm human and is in need of change just as much as anyone else of my species. Though we may differ on the design of God in relation to the human family that doesn't mean that I am above or more worthy than any other for opportunities.
In closing I view things in this manner. If you feel you are right and are willing to put forth the faith even as a mustard seed, then isn't it your duty to trust that your good works and example will influence your neighbor? This may or may not include changing someone's orientation but aside from that it is your duty to influence the world around you for good. You cannot do this by constantly separating yourself.
You can keep to your traditional moral standards and be kind, considerate and respectful to all whom you interact with.
It's no secret that we live in precarious times. Arguably, it seems an all out assault on religion and all faith in general has been culminating into a new stable trend. No longer do we associate terrorist violence with certain extremism of one particular faith. Instead, behind the silver tongues of the media and government officials, religion and faith altogether is now seen and taught to be dangerous. I am a Mormon, more correctly a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I feel it necessary amid the curiosity and stereotyping to extend my own personal views on God, man, faith and the end of the world. In my own words I will touch on the basic questions of mortality that few have the courage to voice in private let alone in public forums. At the end I will round off my thoughts with my own views of where we are heading as a people.
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Religion and faith is what our forefathers, our ancestry and blood, used as a foundation of character and family. Though religions numbered just as many in there time as there are today, for many it was an establishment of self that was taught to them by their mothers and fathers. This life passage of act would harness a set of principles and morals that would be the groundwork of a healthy home and future. Establishing principles and morals is vital in this world spiraling out of control. According to scripture, Acts 3:21 speaks of a restitution which in translation means a restoration of all things. It is my hope that somewhere in the world someone's soul may be quieted long enough for them to hear the voice of restoration. Not by my voice but by the voice which already sounds in the quiet reserves of the heart. This restoration of knowledge, by design, comes at a time of dire need. This knowledge comes, again by design, to help re-anchor the soul to morals and principles that will enable it to fully grasp the eternal concept of true liberty. It will also enable, if received by the person, the inseparable body and spirit to endure the presence of God.
Where did I come from?
Everybody wonders and the subject is among the least understood. What does your body mean to you? Though vast numbers of us find our bodies in unsatisfactory states it is important to understand that it's still a gift. We did not derive from apes. We have an inborn mystery that our potential has no end. We feel that we've been given dominions over certain things that we may prove ourselves for higher blessings and prosperity. Modern thought argues that we are destroying the world. If we have such power then logic would dictate that we have the power uplift the world and propel our civilization to heights unknown. Our body is provided to fill the full measure of our spirit.
This gift is granted because of what we did prior to our mortal birth.
We came from the presence of the Father and all the hosts of heaven including our neighbors, friends and family. There came a time when our eternal progression hung in the balance according to our choice of liberty and the agency to choose right and wrong or captivity through a predetermined life. All of us with bodies of flesh and bone chose correctly in the preexistence, or pre-earth life, to side under the banner of the Christ and against Lucifer and the hosts he lured away. They shall never be granted bodies or the prospect of eternal progression through immortality and eternal life. We have! That knowledge alone should give all of us pause in reflection into all our actions and thoughts. Overwhelmingly, I know I am not perfect and have a lot of work to do. Yet, this testament remains as my foundation. It gives me hope that the end result may be achieved.
Why am I here?
Again use the aforementioned choices we all made prior to our mortal journey and the gift given us. Our job now is to continue making those correct decisions. Decisions that compliment only to further our spiritual and temporal progress and that of our family. Consider it a "parting gift" from Jesus Christ when we left his presence. We are all born with the Light of Christ. That is the basic inborn knowledge of right and wrong that all humans are born with. It is that carpet into life that all humans are provided to walk.
We are here to develop a relationship with God. Scripture does state to fear God (Ecclesiastes 8:12 and even Exodus 20:20) yet little is taught in churches how to trust God and get to know him as the desired relationship between a father and a son. In fact, such action is considered blasphemy and shunned in most religions. Now, reflect and ask yourself why that is..... How can we expect to live with and feel at home with God if we haven't put in the lifelong journey to get to know him?
Where am I going?
Well, where do you want to go? Life is eternal. Being such there is no end to learning or expansion of knowledge. In order to be judged fairly in the justice of God we all must have that common knowledge by which to justify our mortal actions and thoughts. We all make various mistakes here and we all don't have common eternal knowledge. Imagine the billions who have died without hearing the name of Jesus Christ. It is inconceivable to me how any faith can claim these to be utterly lost and without hope simply because they lacked the knowledge. Now, where is the mercy of God in that? He wants us all to return to Him - not just the select few. Logic dictates and "restitution" has revealed that learning continues beyond the grave. We progress, precept upon precept, until the time we are thus resurrected according to our judged time. Many will reject the further light of knowledge and learning, and thus they shall be judged accordingly and their kingdoms also agreeably assigned to.
Keep in mind that we die with that same spirit we've grown and nurtured here. If we lived a life of procrastination how can we expect our willingness to learn improve after we die. That is why it is so important to take advantage of right now while you live. Live in constant search of self and God. That discipline of spirit will engage us to thirst for learning throughout eternity.
*What Mormons Believe
I am forever grateful for that restitution or Restoration of knowledge. As most know, Mormons are lead by a prophet that members sustain is led under the direction of Jesus Christ who has all power and authority to lead the children of men. Most faiths have used scripture against us citing the rise of false prophets (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:11, Revelation 16:13). In fairness I add those references. In defense I ask what is the nature of the adversary? Is it not to mimic or prepare the vice of that which is good?
If we are warned about false prophets then it only furthers the knowledge that a true prophet and the authority thereof must exist as well (Amos 3:7). If the restitution or Restoration is to take place (which it has) then that revealed knowledge can only come through the order of the prophets. I testify that Joseph Smith was, is and will always be a prophet of God. He was prepared to come forth in a new nation built upon liberty and religious freedom so that the restitution can take place. I have personally prayed about the Restoration and the validity of Joseph Smith and have received the answer according to the vehicle of the Holy ghost.
I believe that we are headed for even more difficult times as the moral decay of our nation and world continue. I believe that the establishment of the United States and the fabric of liberty that our Founding Fathers were inspired to bestow upon the people, was to prepare the people to embrace liberty and remember it's sweet taste when it is gone or threatened. I believe that all of us living in this time have been reserved to come forth and live in this time. We are uniquely armed to battle against tyranny and the vice of the adversary.
We must fight the fight! The restitution of all things has revealed knowledge hid since ancient times that affect not only our salvation but also possibilities. Because of the Restoration we know, from our finite scope, the measure that each of us can become a joint-heir with Jesus Christ in the eternal realms of heaven (Romans 8:17). Much courage and sacrifice will be demonstrated in order to realize this fact.
Our liberties will continue to be threatened and narrowed. The good people of the United States will continue to fall into apathy. I am not predicting a major civil unrest in America but I am proclaiming that it will be the liberty in the hearts of man that will save it. Religious freedom which is so vital will be on the brink of collapse. Yet, it will be the liberty in the hearts of man that will save it.
We have the adversary fronting an all out assault on the family. With all the issues facing the people nobody is focusing on healing the family where it all matters. Heal the family you heal the world. Establish morals and principles as our forefathers. Instill them into your posterity that they may cherish also the liberty they've been given. With that liberty they may nourish the will and spirit to always strive toward knowledge. With that spirit, if found worthy, they will be enabled to enter into the presence of God.
May the hearts of the fathers be turned to their children and the hearts of the children turned to their fathers (Malachi 4:6).
Moral decay continues in the United States and around the world. Yet each of us need not succumb to the enticings of a modern world, ready and willing to compromise its values at the winds of public sentiment. Your upright principles and values strengthen a nation. On the other hand, your vices if not tended to, will project an acceleration of moral decay in those around you. With each decision we make we need to ask ourselves who we really are and what is our potential? The answer should be reflected in each succeeding decision we make - large or small.
How we got to this point in the history of mankind is important. However, we are here, and we need to know how to remedy the state of things for the good of the rising generation and our own prosperity. I like to learn things visually and so I choose to learn from the David O. McKay stone. It is a stone that a young missionary by the name of David O. McKay saw above a door in Scotland and struck him to the heart with profound impact. The inscription reads "What E're Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part."
Credit Maskery and Lunk
With this inscription was an interesting engraving of a "magic stone." It was a square sectioned into nine smaller squares as seen above. It was considered such because each of the symbols in each square represented a numerical value. When you add the values up in a line in any direction the sum results are the same. Combined with the inscription we can learn that changing any one value changes the whole or "magic" of the system because the outcome has undeniably changed.
This has everything to do with the state of the world today. We have all these supposed values and principles that we claim to live by but tend to be "in the way" when they are inconvenient. When our values and principles are upheld with a firm foundation the spirit or magic of the whole is maintained and becomes a splendor to all who look on. Yet, in a world of declining values we fail to see that compromising one out of convenience or for any reason degrades the outcome of the whole. DAVID O. MCKAY STONE VIDEO
So, who are you and what is the potential of your outcome? I'll tell you... You are of divine offspring and as such are entitled, if worthy, to inherit powers and blessings unmeasured. You have a worth equal to that of the truest liberty you've been given. In credit to the Atonement of Jesus Christ you have been afforded the greatest of liberty - to inherit the consequences of all your good and bad choices. In other words with your continued favored choices in life you can, in absolute reality, return back into the presence of the Father - your Father - clean, and be found worthy of continued learning and opportunities boundless throughout the eternities with the loving accompaniment of your family relationships.
Is this not the ultimate of happiness? Is not the possibility of boundless personal expansion the pinnacle of liberty? Can there be anything greater than that? Nope, don't think so. It can be yours and its all with the establishment of Jesus Christ as your foundation - your rock upon which all your values and principles are engraved.
This may all sound as an advocacy of a particular religion but it is not. I am a patriot who loves the divinely inspired Constitution of the United States. I believe it to be a preparatory Constitution for a coming greater law with greater expectations and prosperity. I believe that our Founding Fathers were correctly inspired from the tender ages of youth to fulfill the measures which history now credits them. Religion is good and becomes a bedrock for healthy families. My aim though is in exhorting all people to return to a state of dignity and integrity. Return through living strictly by upright values and principles. Shore up these virtues to stand against all the temptations and mockery of the world.
Search your own heart. Of course it's true that you have a unique purpose in life and that the end destiny should only be that of happiness, continued growth, expansion and unfailing love. Anyone who truly loves freedom and liberty should at least feel the desire for this compassed path toward ultimate peace. Isn't this worth taking inventory of your own values and the principles you live by? Isn't it worth it for the sake of making sure you're a good example to the rising generation charged to protect the Constitution of the United States, and the expansion of liberty to all who are ready and willing to accept it?
In the sacred writ of Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 it states: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." How many times and in how many places in scripture are we promised great blessings for obedience? Those are contracts that the Lord has committed to - with us. We break our covenant with him when we are not in compliance with the commandments of God. Yet, many of us dare to curse God when we, ourselves, have brought us out of His favor.
The stalwart nature and the upright ethics of our forefathers are a direct cause of the prosperity they've prepared for us. It is their pioneering efforts ethically and morally that have paved the way to the greatness that builds nations that the world has never seen before. It is character like theirs that proudly crossed their heart and declared the Pledge of Allegiance. It is character like theirs that upheld the Second Amendment, knowing that by God we do have the right to protect our homes and property against any threat foreign or domestic. It's character like theirs that have raised great men and women like your great grandparents, grandparents, parents and hopefully yourselves as well.
Return to virtuous living. Return to dignity and integrity. I have one more scriptural passage for you and it is found in the Book of Mosiah 18:9. It states that we are to "...stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God..." As the pilot nation of liberty of the modern era it is our obligation to recognize the hand of God in all things. In so doing we will recognize more sensitively our own actions and thoughts. We'll be more receptive to the compelling in the heart to modify our motivations for the good of all mankind.
Stand firm to correct principles. We have now entered a time when we are content to legalizing immorality and calling it good for us to do. This is not good and condoning immorality in the halls of justice only compounds the greater condemnation yet to come. Hold true to what's right even in the face of those who demand your compromise. The laws of God are absolute and unchanging just as each one of us should be.
This is my testament of the integrity of man that I'm compelled to share for the benefit of not only myself but for even just one out there who may be struggling in mires of the modern world. Now that you know your potential as a literal heir of God, I urge you to apply the before-mentioned saying to yourself and make all the sum totals of your values match up flawlessly.
Discouragement is a venomous condition that spreads like a virus. It can not only bring down the individual but it assuredly can bring down a nation. Such is the current news of unemployment versus the vast numbers of Americans leaving the workforce. It doesn't take a Masters degree to understand that it is work and the ingenuity of the American heart implementing liberty that makes this country prosper. Work, whatever labor it may be, provides the necessities of the home and enables the head-of-household to protect the family. That is the foundation of what work is. That is the foundation of the function of work for the American home.
One would have to be blind not to see that jobs in America overall are disappearing at a frightening rate. The reasons can be debated all day long, but at least from my observations I look toward the President of the United States and the legislators in both houses of Congress. From my perspective I see a re-elected tyrant whose hidden agendas are becoming ever clearer by the day. I see escalations in spending with little discipline of budgeting. I see the Dollar, the lifeblood of American prosperity being devalued. What's worse is that I see a desensitized American public unwilling to make the changes necessary to bring this country back to a status of responsible power and liberty. The spirits that God selectively placed to grow in the United States have chosen to be so easily swayed to be dependent on a government that has clipped the wings of liberty. USPS Lady Liberty and U.S. Flag Forever Postage Stamps - 100 ct. (Google Affiliate Ad)
I don't feel like rehashing all the reasons and citing all the unconstitutional acts just to prove my point. Why? Well, at this juncture I cannot fathom this argument to be arguable! Furthermore, I believe it would be a waste of my time to try and convert someone to a reality that is squarely in front of their face. I no longer have the time or patience to debate with such extensive display of ignorance.
As Americans, as citizens of the United States, as children of the inspired Constitution we have not only the right but also the responsibility and obligation to peaceably put off this government. I say peaceably because the structure must be maintained. If we are to sustain the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as worthy documents to live by then the order must be maintained. Yet, we use the tools afforded us to replace the tyranny that has been festering in Washington for decades. With a Obamacare purposely designed to destroy the United States and legislators pandering to the minority vote its no wonder we're in the mess that dirties our boots. We now debate in the halls of Congress legislating violent and deliberate acts against U.S. citizens. We debate gun control and suppressing the Second Amendment over heinous acts committed by those mentally disturbed. The very means of protection is being stripped from us by the very entity that the Second Amendment was designed to protect the citizen from. You bet we have the right to use any firearm to protect our property and rights from our own government. Second Amendment (Flag) coffee mug (Google Affiliate Ad)
Workforce confidence is low and a growing number of businesses are leery to hire. The cost of providing healthcare insurance has as much as quadrupled since 2010. On top of that this has caused many employers to cut employees down to part-time to evade health plans altogether for their employees. It stinks, it sucks but can you really blame the businesses for such decisions. Not if you want them to stay open. Our government has openly put in place a carefully laid out plan to move the growing sectors of the lower economic classes to government dependence. Is this really where you want to be?
We are not true Americans if we answer in the affirmative that this is where we want to be. America is uniquely apart as cherishing liberty and the freedoms to reap what we sow. This oftentimes requires the American mind to not take the path of least resistance. It requires us to work and toil for prosperity. It requires us to appreciate liberty and the blood which that liberty has cost. If we give in and opt into a system designed to ensnare us, we thus surrender a part of our liberty which defines us as providers and protectors.
Assistance is needed at times but it should never be used as a crutch to continue or acquire bad habits. If we suddenly become without a job it is our duty to beat the street constantly until work has been reacquired. THIS MAY EVEN REQUIRE YOU TO RELOCATE ELSEWHERE IN ORDER TO FIND WORK. I cap that because many give up on job hunting since the local market is so bleak. So the idea is "give up" and rely on the government who advertises your full funding for the next two years. Fellow Americans we are not to idle away our time. We are to be active and industrious. A lack of jobs locally does not indicate a lack of jobs elsewhere. Go and do in order to sustain your integrity and dignity.
If we are to reacquire that American spirit that made this nation great in the first place then we have got to get the strength and courage to address those who lead us. There are a few who still champion our cause but by and large self interest governs them.
I so testify that the Constitution will not be altogether stricken, but we are allowing it to be tested and tried.
