Conspiracy Fact in the Book of Mormon

I have heard some comment that when it comes to discussing the wickedness and conspiracy that exists today, that those who hold this world view are just wanting to feel smarter or better than everyone else. Since, this has come up several times, here is my response:

The point of being a "conspiracy realist" is not about trying to feel better than others or knowing more than others. The point is that being "awake" to the reality of the world we live in makes you a "minority" and a bit "marginalized" in society. While not everything bad that happens is a conspiracy, once you are "awake", this kind of new world view affects how you interpret almost everything that happens.

Again, for many of us, being "awake" is "isolating". We go on with our average and productive lives, but we quickly discover that we cannot easily talk about our new political, economic, and social world view with friends, colleagues, or even our spouses. So, some of us may frequent a forum or blog seeking a community of like-minded individuals. Not that all "conspiracy realists" all think exactly alike, or interpret everything the same, or agree on every subject. But we share this commonality of being "awake".

The reason why discussing this stuff with others is so difficult is because being "awake" is so unpleasant and shocking. While being "awakened" for me was a bit of a process involving studying the banking scandal in 2008, Dr. Jones' 9/11 lecture was what really opened my eyes for good. I was really "freaking out" so-to-speak for a little while. For a while you don't know what to believe, and it is easy to latch onto a lot of misinformation that is put out there. So, there is also a maturity that happens. It is a interesting dynamic.

D&C 88:108-110 And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and areveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years. And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years—And so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years.

Ask yourself this. Why would Christ bother to come down to Earth to reveal to us everything that happened during the whole history of the Earth? Unless, the history that we think we know is all wrong. But then consider the benefits of having this truth. According to this scripture, the "awakening" of the people to the truth seems to be a major contributer to what will "bind" Satan. Much of Satan's power in this world is due to his control over the spiritually blind which they call "useful idiots" or "useless eaters".

However, please don't misunderstand. Not being a "conspiracy realist" doesn't make someone automatically inferior in any way. The scripture that best illustrates this is Lehi vs. Nephi. Now they were both shown the same vision of the Tree of Life. However, Nephi comments that despite this, Lehi never noticed "the filthiness of the water." because his mind was wrapped up in other things. But Nephi did notice, and he spent most of 2 Nephi talking about it and quoting Isaiah who also goes to great length in describing the filthiness of the water.

But we can go to far, and the Book of Mormon discusses exactly what we should and should not talk about.

Alma 37:27-29 Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders. (see Ether 8:20, Hel 6:25-26, Mos 29:25-26, Alma 8:17, 4Ne1:42, Ether 10:33, Hel 2:13).

The reality is that history describes the rise and fall of one civilization after another. Our Constitutional Republic is the most advanced of all civilizations from the beginning, but "The Powers That Be" are wanting to destroy the Constitution and get us to think that America was just one more failed experiment no better than Rome or Greece. And it seems like after Babylon came Iran, then Greece, and Rome. So, in our day we have seen the rise and fall of Spain, France, Great Britain, and now we are seeing a fall of the United States while we the money elite transfer power over to Communist China and Russia.

And we are warned in the Book of Mormon that if we do not repent of our sins, our society will be destroyed just like the Nephites and the Jaredites were. This warning of is one major purpose of the Book of Mormon. The key to what to do to preserve our freedoms is to repent. Our country is undergoing a process of Ideological Subversion. This process involves systematic demoralization. An immoral corrupt people cannot see truth. Therefore, unless we can repent as a nation and reverse the trend whereby many sins have now become socially acceptable, then we cannot possibly reverse the decline and destruction of America. The key to saving America is to make sin no longer socially acceptable. Too many people excuse their sin by thinking that it can't be all that bad if everyone is doing it. God hates this excuse more than any other. We have been demoralized as a people and our only hope is to remoralize as a nation. Every time we as a people legalize sin and make sin socially acceptable, we take one more step closer towards destruction.

Mosiah 29:26-27Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.

Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Ether 8:23Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

Losing Faith in Government

3 Nephi 7:2 And the people were divided one against another; and they did separate one from another into tribes, every man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land.

The events in the Book of Mormon leading up to the appearance of Jesus Christ in America are a type of Second Coming of Jesus Christ in this the Last Days. Just before Christ's appearance, the government of the Nephites had been infiltrated and subverted by a secret brotherhood of robbers known as the Gadiantons. The extent of the corruption in government was such that after the assassination of the Chief Judge, the population had lost so much faith; they abandoned the government entirely and separated into tribes.

It seems to me that there has been a gradual but persistent errosion of respect for authority in America. Youth have less respect for their elders, children hold less honor for thier parents, citizens are more fearful of law enforcement, and more suspicious of their elected leaders. While the blame for this trend can't be entirely attributed to one side of the other; the consequences are potentially grave.

It is official LDS Doctrine that the Constitution of the United States is inspired by God. And while we have the civic duty to elect moral and good leaders, we must never abandon the foundation document that protects our liberties and freedoms.

The fourth trumpet of Revelation talks about 1/3 the sun, moon, and stars darkening. It is my opinion that apart from any type of possible literal fulfillment, I believe that this darkening symbolically refers to the failure of many local, state and national government. Not all governments fail, but a 1/3 part. This could be for various reasons such as bankruptcy, civil unrest or war. I think we are already beginning to see this.

I was thinking about where the media is taking us. Is Osama Bin Laden really dead or did he die 10 years ago? Was Bin Laden killed last week, or just 3 days ago? What's with Pres. Obama releasing his Birth Certificate long form now? What about comet Elenin, HAARP, and earthquakes? What's with these UFO sightings? What about Fukushima and the danger of radioactive fallout? What about the TARP bailout and where did all that money really go? What really happen with the BP oil spill and is the Corexit still a health risk? What really happened on 9/11 and Building 7? Are we getting the facts, are we being lied to? While all these issues have their importance. I think the overall goal with all of this is to erode our faith in government.

How much longer, and what will be the tipping point where America ends up like the Nephites in the Book of Mormon?

The above and previous explainations of trumpets may be 3 years early as there are those like in the Book of Mormon who are trying to create a scenario where believers will be made to think that the time is past when the Bible predicts the Second Coming. This dating is based on the assumption that Christ was born 3 BC and the following Jubilee years and event all occur 3 years earlier. The Abomination of Desolation is to occur in the midst of the final 7 tribulation years. What I mean is that there are those out there who are pointing to the year 2017 as the Second Coming and the beginning of the tribuation in 2010. These same people assume Christ was born 3 BC. I tend to side with Elder Talmage and believe Chist was born April 6, 1 BC.

1820 116th Jubilee: First Vision, End of Spanish Inquisition

1870 117th Jubilee: Edict of Pope Nicholas III, End of Roman Ghettos

1920 118th Jubllee: Prohibition, League of Nations begins, Protocols of Zion published, Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate for Palestine confirmed by League of Nations.

1950 "Law of Return": Command to Rebuild Israel and Jerusalem (The Fig Tree Nation), Beginning of Daniel's Final 70 Years (This generation shall not all pass away)

1970 119th Jubilee: Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, End of War of Attition following 6-day War

2000 Opening of 7th Seal, and beginning of 1/2-hour of silence in heaven

2011-2 Beginning of Daniel Tribulation Week (three score and two years)

2016-7 Abomination of Desolation, Heathen Army Invasion, Adam-ondi-Ahman

2020 120th Jubilee: We will see "Eye to Eye" when the Lord brings again Zion, End of 1/2-hour of silence in heaven

Several Apostles (Elder Benson, Elder McConkie) have commented that they believe the Abomination of Desolation will be a nuclear event. Pres. George Albert Smith describes WWII and a Nuclear First Strike on America after the Election but before the Inaugaration of the next POTUS. The POTUS at the time before the next POTUS takes office is said to be of "Greek" ancestry which may be just an euphamism for non-northern european. With rhetoric heating up in Pakistan between China and the US, and the US continually provoking Russia and China, an attack on the US could happen in 2012 and we could already be in the Tribulation. I am not going to vote for President Obama to be re-elected, but in light of the account of this vision given by Bro. David Horne, I am pulling for Pres. Obama to win in 2012. I could use 4 more years.

Seeking to Do His Will

Today, I was blessed to witness the baptism of a husband and wife. They had received the LDS Missionaries and learned about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and desired to follow Christ's example in being baptized by immersion in His name. Having had swim lessons at an early age and feeling very comfortable in the water, I am not sure I appreciated until today how scary baptism by immersion can be to a non-swimmer. Even though the water in the baptismal font was warm and only waste deep, there is rich symbolism associated with the act of immersion that can cause a bit of anticipatory anxiety.

We know that Baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But in addition to that, baptism also symbolizes our complete submission to God. Allowing one of God's servants to hold you under water, trusting that he will bring you up again does require a bit of faith in and of itself.

However, thinking on this further, baptism as well as other gospel ordinances, symbolizes our rebirth, devotion, and commitment as children, followers, and disciples of Jesus Christ. Life is short in comparison to eternity and this life is not about seeking our own pleasure. This life is not about getting what we want, or doing things the way we want them to be dome. What this life is really about, is seeking out and doing the will the the Father. Christ summed it up in the Garden the night before His death when He said, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.'

The wisdom in complete submission to God, and surrendering our own desires is that our desires can be manipulated by our environment. Many of the things we want are a result of what we see on TV, or what we see our neighbors have. However, when we sacrifice to attain these superficial desires, most of the time, we are left dissatisfied and just as empty or even more empty than at the start. Too often, what we think we want does not satisfy. Even if we could have it all. Also, seeking our own will makes it easy for Satan to enslave us. Without God we have no real imagination, and our sights are limited and our choices can be limited by a controlled media and society.

However, when we give ourselves to God, then we seek His will and not our own. Christ says to take His yoke upon us because His burden is easy and His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. we are taught in the Book of Mormon to never labor for that which is of no worth, or for sacrifice for that which does not satisfy. Rather, we are invited to lose ourselves in the service of others and thereby find ourselves. Or in other words, we are instructed to "forget [ourselves] and go to work." The New Testament again invites us to lay up in store treasures in heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt, and where thieves cannot break in and steal. And we are taught that we are not to set our hearts upon our riches or the riches of others.

The truth is that we don't know what we should desire. We don't know of ourselves what will bring eternal happiness and joy. To often, our happiness just centers around having more than the others around us. When what should really bring us happiness is tirelessly sharing what we have with others so that others have the same blessings we do.

Seeking our own pleasure, and doing our own will has a name (do as you will). It is called pride. I am not taking about the kind of pride where we are proud of a job well done. What I am talking about is the pride in the scriptures which is described by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson as "enmity towards God". too often we want to do things our way, and just want to do what we want to do, when we want to do them, and how we want to do them. However, this life, which is very short compared to eternity, is the time we have to prepare to stand before God and be judged. And a major part of our testing here during this Earth life is to prove us whether we will seek to do the will of our Heavenly Father. This is the purpose of life.

Defending Proposition 8

While the LDS Church supported the passage of California State Amendment Proposition 8, the following is not necessarily LDS Doctrine.

First off, I do not support the government interfering with the decisions of 2 consenting adults so long as those decisions do not negatively affect a 3rd party. Along those lines, I have no problem with recognizing same-sex civil unions. And, while I do not agree with this lifestyle choice, I believe that same-sex unions should provide those unionized every civil, medical, legal, and tax right, and privilege that traditional marriage provides-- except one. This one exception involves biological children as the 3rd party whose rights are often overlooked and ignored. It is this one exception that differentiates traditional marriage from civil unions.

In 2000, the people of California passed a state law by ballot proposition 22 to preserve traditional marriage. In 2008, the California Supreme Court declared that Proposition 22 was unconstitutional and overturned it in favor of same-sex marriage. Later in 2008, traditional marriage was voted for and defended a second time by the citizens of California. However, this time, the law protecting traditional marriage was made an official State Constitutional amendment (Proposition 8). The Supreme Court of California has had a much more difficult time attacking this constitutional amendment since they only interpret the Constitution (Law of the People) and have sworn to defend it even if they don't like part of it.

However, the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution requires equal protection and treatment by the law for each citizen. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution also contains the Due Process clause which has been interpreted to mean that States cannot pass a law that denies any citizen life, liberty, or property without due process. So, enemies of Prop 8 are wanting to use the "equal treatment" clause to destroy Traditional marriage. However so far, the federal government has considered the issue of traditional marriage to be an issue for the States to decide.

You cannot defend traditional marriage, if you do not define traditional marriage correctly. Traditional Marriage is not just about man and woman living together. You don't need to be married to do that. Traditional marriage is about producing and raising biological children with a both a father and a mother who provide proper roll modeling and a proper environment for a child's psycho-social development. Traditional marriage is about preserving the right of children to be born into a family with both a mother and a father. Traditional marriage is about the right to produce and raise biological children (adoption is debatable).

This focus on the rights of producing and raising biological children and the rights of children is what sets Traditional Marriage apart from Civil Unions. Civil Unions can enjoy tax benefits, inheritance benefits, hospital decision making, etc, etc. The only thing that differentiates one from the other HERE and ETERNALLY is the right to produce and raising biological children. (I believe the difference between eternal civil union and eternal marriage in the next life will be the right to nurture spirit children)

But much water has flown under the bridge with respect to rampant illegitimacy, gamete donors, surrogate mothers and advanced fertility. This may be a losing battle. It is easy for enemies of traditional marriage to compare and defend same-sex marriage with other failures and weaknesses in our society.

So far, it seems that the defense of Traditional marriage have avoided talking about the right to produce biological children, because this would lead to a discussions on other issues. Instead, most proponents try to defend Traditional marriage by fear-mongering that governments could deny Church tax-exempt status or prevent Church authorization to perform traditional marriage if they did not also perform same-sex marriages. However, the US government cannot currently dictate to private organizations who they must and must not include. Therefore, I am of the opinion that these fear arguments are distractions from the real issues, and potentially do harm to the cause.

In case you were on Mars yesterday, Prince William (Son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana) married Kate Middleton. The bride wore a beautiful wedding dress whose designer happened to be homosexual and who tragically committed suicide. The political statement I believe was an attempt to shine light on the mismatch between the homosexual lifestyle and our traditional Judeo-Christian values. This mismatch in some cases, can result in strong negative feelings. If those negative feelings are internalized, a deep depression can result. On the other hand, if those negative feelings are directed outward, then a person may become resentful of the part of their cultural values that alienates them or at least become very politically motivated to change those cultural values. Judeo-Christians have difficulty in changing traditional values because we believe those values were given to us by God.

Looking For the Good

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote the First Presidency Message in the March edition of the Ensign Magazine. This month, Pres. Uchtdorf's message is focused on being peacemakers, looking on the bright side, and seeing the Good in everything around us. With the increase in evil, and adversity around, this skill will become much needed.

Pres. Uchtdorf says:"Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything." Pres. Uchtdorf warns members against the temptation to criticize, to hold grudges, gossip and to find fault with others. “for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16).

Instead, Pres Uchtdorf reminds us of the scriptures that teach the followers of Christ to be “pure, … peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” For those who make peace, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace” (James 3:17-18). Pres. Uchtdorf concludes: "we have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."

This wise Counsel reminds me of the words of Alma to his son Corianton in the Book of Mormon about the Law of the Harvest and the meaning of the word restoration:

For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all. (Alma 41:15)