Elevate yourself

truly elevate yourself in the scriptures and in meditation (“one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord" -- Pres. David O. McKay)

How to survive cancer

of course need to take everything you hear with your filter to determine if it works or not.

The American Manifesto

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by Wesley B. May 30, 2013

I am a sovereign man, responsible for my own actions and their consequences. I am the supreme authority of my life, and I may do with it as I please. I hold this to be an inalienable right of my humanity, and I will not suffer it to be infringed upon.

I wish to assume the calculated risk, to wager my livelihood and well-being upon the decisions I make; I desire to test my skill and intelligence against all form and fashion of challenges. Danger is the spice and variety of life: all danger is simply risk, and I weigh the risks and pursue those that offer the highest return; whether that return be material gain, spiritual enlightenment, temporal pleasure or simply the euphoria of success.

I will neither ask for nor receive unearned handouts; I will trade value for value. I will work for what I own, and I will own what I work for. I abhor debt, considering it as merely a front for economic slavery. I do believe in the principles of capitalism, where one is rewarded according to his ability and productivity. I make money, not just gather it: producing products and services of value, squaring off against my competitors in an effort to win.

I am fiercely competitive, and proud of my country and myself. I strive to be the best I can be, not by pulling other people down and restraining them, but by striving to outdo them, to better them at every opportunity. I will not apologize for my ability, nor will I cower before any foe; I resolutely embrace my skills and intelligence, and use them to my best profit. It is my right to be uncommon, to walk the path less traveled by. I hold that if everyone were to work for their best interests while refraining from infringing upon others, then the competition would drive quality up and price down: that we would raise each other up, instead of pull each other down.

I choose my friends and company from among my betters, constantly seeking to improve myself. I maintain an inviolate sense of honor, my word is my bond: I deal with people in a straightforward way, expressing the truth, with tact, in all I do and say. I communicate precisely and simply, speaking and writing what I mean to convey exactly.

I neither impose my will upon others, nor do I forcefully oppose their will; if I choose to attempt to convert someone to my point of view, I use logos, swaying them through reason and immovable logic. I will readily yield to another point of view, maintaining an open mind, provided I am convinced through the use of persuasion that the other party is correct. I refuse to coerce or be coerced.

As the logical result of my economic and moral conscience, I believe in living under my means and preparing for a rainy day. I fix things myself. I become the master of my possessions, learning their inner workings and using them to best effect, not to be held in their thrall. I buy things of superlative quality, both for the item’s intrinsic value and because something made to such a high standard shows a mind and mentality such as mine.

I am always a student. I enjoy studying the literary works of great acclaim, apprenticing under the tutelage of a master in his trade, and exposing myself to fresh experiences. This does not mean I accept everything I come to understand, I apply myself to think critically and skeptically of all new material: keeping the grain and letting the wind blow the chaff away. I do not limit myself to any particular trade or subject, but seek out and delve into diverse topics.

Being responsible for my own fate, I do not deign to leave it in other people’s hands. I take it upon myself to acquire skills and knowledge that I can use to defend myself and those I love, and to give myself as much of an advantage in any situation as I can. I maintain a high level of awareness, both of my surroundings and myself. I respond decisively and with no apology to defend myself, my possessions or the lives of others.

I dress immaculately. I present myself with composed confidence, sure in myself, certain in my choices. I am tactful and good company, not to curry favor with others, but because anything less would be disgraceful and below the level at which I hold myself. When the time to work comes, I wear clothes whose form is expressed in flawless function.

I do not dwell on that which is outside my control. I accept it and adjust accordingly: I am permanently flexible and perpetually stoic. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

I consider religion a personal matter. Whatever I believe, I separate it from my politics and my judgment of others.

I voluntarily surrender a measure of my authority over myself to my government, which I hold to exist for the sole purpose of removing coercion as a viable means to achieve an end. I participate actively in the politics of my land, not as a method to raise myself above my peers or achieve a position of power, but to serve. I consider political service a necessary duty, not a career; I regard a large, intrusive government to be the greatest of all evils, because all that is required for it to succeed is for good men to do nothing. For this reason, I am a proponent of citizens being free to arm themselves, as they ought: the point of arming the populace is not pleasurable pastimes nor is it individual protection, the point is to empower the people. If the people have less force available to them than the government, then the government is free to coerce them. At that point, they are no longer citizens, they are now subjects.

I am an American. I own my life, the product of my labor and my mind. With these, I will contend with fate. I will not trade my freedom for a guaranteed existence. I am, therefore I think.

Ezra Taft Benson Last Days

Why Leaders Are Quiet About The End Times!!!

Why Leaders Are Quiet About The End Times!!!

Excellent comments from brother Richard Draper. He is an authority on the Book of Revelations.

“Between now and the time we build Zion – we are vulnerable.
Why don’t church leaders speak out more and warn about the last days and what’s coming?
Why is there no show of strength by the Church?
Why is there so much evil?
Why is there no parting of the Red Sea, as it were, or the ten plagues?
Why is there no drying up of the heavens, or plagues under the administration of the prophet?
Why is it that the church leaders do not march forth in strong defensive, rising up to condemn the nation like the prophets of old?
Where is the equivalent of the burden of Babylon, or the burden of Assyria, or the burden of Moab?

We are just not hearing about these things !

Why do the leaders sit quietly, doing the inner work of the kingdom – rather than battling for righteousness by buying prime time slots on TV, holding huge rallies, or shouting hell fire against the sin centers of the world. Even the missionaries are encouraged not to contend, but to preach with love.

Could it be that we are now in the one thousand two hundred and sixty days when the beast walks the land? Are we now in the time, times and half-time when the three and ½ years commence? Are we in the midst of the forty two months? Could it be that evil really is supposed to have the upper hand, to do its work ... almost unhindered (at least for the time being)? Is it really possible?

The Book of Revelation in the New Testament provides an answer. It shows us that the path of the church is not to actively fight against Babylon, or to put her down. She is to grow fat and sassy and to grow ever more arrogant and strong; and to remain ignorant that the day of her destruction is not far distant.

Our job is to flee Babylon (repent), gather Israel through the preaching of the gospel; perfect the Saints, redeem the dead, and build Zion.

The church does not have the resources to fight against principles, institutions or people. Every ounce of energy (financial and human) must be used for people, for morality, for goodness – not for actively opposing Babylon. In the Book of Revelation, the 144,000 nor the Saints, take part in any opposition against Babylon, the dragon, the beast, or false prophets. The Saints are absent from all battlefields. The 144,000 are engaged only in the gathering of those of Israel who will come to the church of the firstborn. The only task that The Book of Revelation assigns to the Saints, is to worship God and not the beast; to endure in faith, maintain virtue, to withstand persecution, and to preach the gospel of God.

Evil really has to have its day! Therefore, the church, for the present, is in a kind of isolation mode – concerned mostly with itself and internal affairs, strengthening its doctrinal and theological foundation – adding to its membership all who will come, and leaving the rest of the world to build that part of hell in which they will soon fall. Yes, evil really has to have its day. This world is in the kind of stage on which the cosmos will be able to see the self destructive nature of unrighteousness. Wickedness is going to come down! It is wickedness that is going to bring wickedness down. (The prophet won’t need to do it – the wicked will bring it on themselves.) And the cosmos is going to be able to see that. And just at the point where everyone has learned this lesson . . . then God is going to step in and save the world.”

God laid out the plan for this world before it was created, and Jesus Christ is carrying out that plan in flawless detail. The Prophet and Apostles today are doing their part in carrying out that plan just as it was designed by God. We have been warned – and now we are being tested to see if we will be obedient to the prophet.

God’s plan is working. The question is – are we?

earthquake, etc in utah

Here is some more stuff from Gayle Young that eerily matches this scenario that Spencer, Iohanni, Sols Guardisto, Sarah Menet and others talked of.  BTW - none of these people were ever ex'd over any of this though some were very vocal in what they had to say:

ECONOMIC COLLAPSE: Shortly after her mother in law’s death the government will cause to occur very rapidly a complete, world wide economic collapse in which money would be worthless. She is not sure how soon after her mother in law’s passing this will occur. At one time she felt it would just be a few days; now she is not sure how much time will pass. She saw lots of paper money blowing about the streets and no one bothering to pick it up. There are a number of scriptures, both in the Bible and in modern revelation which refer to Babylon falling, and an economic collapse occurring in “one day”. She has not been shown how this collapse would occur, but she has been shown on many occasions that it would occur very quickly over just a relatively few days. She says that “we will hear rumors which will get louder and then the collapse will happen very quickly.”

FIRST EARTHQUAKE: Within about 10 days after the economic collapse there would be a substantial earthquake along the Wasatch Front in Utah. She says that this quake “doesn’t seem that hard but because it lasts so long there is quite a bit of damage.”

SECOND EARTHQUAKE: Within about 15 days after the first earthquake there would be a second earthquake that would be INCREDIBLE. (I have another friend or two who have seen these quakes and they say that this second quake would be the biggest quake ever recorded by man.) The damage would be massive and would include the breaking of every dam in the mountains above the Wasatch Front. The Jordanell dam will break and then when the surge hits Deer Creek, it too will break and a huge wall of water over 80 feet high will scour Provo Canyon and everything in front of it. There will also be massive liquifaction of the ground in the west part of the valley. Buildings will be falling like dominos. There will be massive fires and floods. Travel south out of Salt Lake Valley will be blocked because the huge sand and gravel deposit at the Point of The Mountain will slide across the entire valley making it impossible to go across this loose material on foot. Also, very wide and deep crevices will open up in this same area. The crevices will be perhaps 600 feet deep and 500 to 600 feet wide.

MARTIAL LAW: Sometime between the economic collapse and the second earthquake martial law would be imposed in Utah and perhaps over the entire country. The rioting, looting, mobbings, etc. that will follow the economic collapse will be unlike anything this country has ever experienced. She says this martial law will be incredibly oppressive and brutal, worse than Nazi Germany. People caught outside after curfew will be shot. People will be prohibited from meeting, praying or leaving the area. Those caught doing so will be executed, Armed troops will have authority to search homes and seize food, arms and ammunition and anything else they choose to take. This oppression will be so severe that people will pray night and day for deliverance. The U.N. will relocate people and sort them, some will be executed and others sent to work camps. She saw armed soldiers rounding up groups of men and then shooting them. She saw that men were very scarce in the valley.

THIRD & FOURTH EARTHQUAKES: Perhaps five or six months - perhaps longer, after the second earthquake a third earthquake will hit the Wasatch Front destroying everything and everyone left in the area. Gail thinks that this quake is in response to the prayers asking for relief. This third quake will result in significant shifts in the earth’s crust that will cause a series of massive quakes all over the world. Sometime later there will be a fourth quake in the Wasatch front of such incredible magnitude that she saw Mount Timpanogos sinking away and a new mountain appearing in the middle of Utah Valley. When I asked Gail to review this in Sept. 1996 she added the following: “Last week I saw the whole valley under water. I was standing on the Point of the Mountain looking both ways to Utah Valley and Salt Lake Valley and saw all of it under water. The water was lapping up against my feet. I was up on the foothill. I also saw the cracks in the earth with molten lava coming out of them.”

PLAGUES: Following the second earthquake one or more terrible quick killing diseases would break out in the Utah area and kill many. The disease(s) will be something like the Ebola virus that kills very quickly. While Gail was talking on the radio about these plagues a man named “Robert” called in and said he had been shown these diseases and he was also shown that the governing powers controlling the troops would be responsible for unleashing the disease on the people. Gail agreed with this. According to both of them the entire area from Northern Arizona to southern Idaho would be sealed off and turned into a “dead zone.” They said that the purpose for all of this is to kill Christians and particularly the LDS.

U. S. INVADED: Shortly after the second earthquake the United States will be attacked by invading forces. Russia will invade the East coast and China the West coast. The invasion will include missile attacks. She was shown that the invasion would occur when people were eating and drinking which Gail believes to be Thanksgiving, but possibly Christmas. There will be nuclear attacks on both coasts, Las Vegas, and perhaps in Utah.

Understanding the United Order

Pulled this from http://ldsdoctrine.blogspot.com/2013/07/united-order.html

makes complete sense to me!!

Understanding the United Order

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 

33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 

34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 

35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. (New Testament, Acts, Acts 4)

We read in the New Testament how the Early Christian Saints lived will all things in common.  We know that something must have happened to this United Order because mainstream Christianity doesn't seem to live this way today.  Christians live the law of tithes and offerings but not this communal living.  

This United Order was attempted in more modern times by the Pilgrims at Jamestown Colony. In fact the failure of the Pilgrims to live this United Order and their reversion to the law of tithing is the Thanksgiving story.  The Early LDS Saints also attempted to live the United Order with measured success and look to reinstitute it more fully in the future in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.

[the following analogy is not mine but from an LDS friend]

However, if you ask most LDS to define the United Order they will say, "the United Order is a system where if your neighbor is an unskilled janitor (a building engineer is highly skilled labor) and has 14 kids and you are a skilled doctor and have 2 kids then you each give all your money to the bishop and the bishop then redistributes more of the wealth to the unskilled janitor because of his greater need."

Of course, the conservative "personal responsibility" crowd will cry out and say "you mean to tell be that if I sacrifice my whole life to learn a highly skilled trade, that my eternal reward is to labor the rest of my life to continually and unendingly bail out everyone else who carelessly idled their time away, buried their talents, squandered their inheritance, and lived irresponsibly?   Is that my reward and I am supposed to feel the spirit about that?"

Look at Cuba.  When Communism took over, all industry and production stopped.  My father-in-law visits Cuba regularly and says the place is like stepping back in time to 1959 when Castro seized power. Except instead of being frozen in time everything is slowly falling apart into decay and disrepair.  There is no incentive by the people to develop their talents and engage in productive enterprise because they know the Cuban Government will oppose them, persecute them, then seize their wealth and their enterprise for themselves in the name of "redistribution" for the good of all Cubans. 

The United Order is supposed to help me want to consecrate.  I don't see how "involuntary income redistribution" helps me want to consecrate. You can claim a religious-based system is "voluntary" but if my faith community alienates or ostracizes me more not playing by the rules, how is this not coercion?

42 Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 42)

Today in church someone made a great comment about needing to be willing and open to rethink a lot of what believe politically and socially. But then he casually equated the LDS Law of Consecration with Communism.  Again, while I think most LDS concept of the United Order fits along the lines of "income re-distribution". I do not think this is a complete view of what the United Order is all about.  But, if all I had to go on was Acts 4:35, I think I would think along these terms as well.  But thankfully the Lord reveals more about His United Order and consecration in the Doctrine and Covenants. 

The United Order is NOT Communism, NOT Socialism, and it is NOT Capitalism either.  Despite what the media says, Capitalism is not free market.  We don't need the unelected crony capitalist to decide and NO I did not vote with my dollars in this rigged system. The United Order recognizes and respects property rights, is 100% voluntary, 100% free enterprise, and 100% Constitutional.

which is a residue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 42)

7 Nevertheless, inasmuch as they receive more than is needful for their necessities and their wants, it shall be given into my storehouse; (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 70)

The Doctrine and Covenants clarifies the idea that Christ's Church should care for one another not just according to everyone's needs but according to our wants.  "Wants" has huge implications and is NOT a trivial detail when it comes to understanding consecration and the United Order.

When we talk about the United Order we usually give a sigh and say, "you can't live the United Order in a society with both righteous and evil living together so we will have to wait for a day when God separates the wicked from  the righteous." The reason a mixed community cannot live the United Order is because the takers soon inevitably outnumber the producers. This is exactly what happened in Jamestown Colony leading to its repeated failures until they recognized property rights and reverted to tithing. (everyone wanted to look for gold and no one wanted to produce the food)  This taker/producer mismatch is also currently happening in the now bankrupt Socialist US and European welfare states .

I don't disagree with the idea that a mixed society of righteous and wicked makes consecration difficult, but I do not think it makes it impossible.  First, let me clarify that consecration is the personal commitment  and covenant that an individual makes with God. The United Order is an economic system (eg capitalism, communism, free-enterprise, hunter-gatherer, cottage-barter, Ayn Rand meritocracy, virtue-ocracy, etc) that helps the community to live consecration.  But an individual does't have to live under the United Order to consecrate. The purpose of the United Order is to help people consecrate not make it harder..

I think it is possible to live the United Order with righteous and wicked. In truth, we are all wicked.  If we were all righteous we would all be taken up to heaven like Enoch and Elijah and we wouldn't need to be talking about  economics. In fact, I think like in Enoch's city of Zion, the United Order was the mechanism by which the wicked and righteous  were separated.  

I say, righteous and wicked, but what I mean is willing vs. unwilling.  I suppose in Enoch's Zion, the unwilling voluntarily left and only the willing remained.  The willing through the process of living consecration becoming increasingly sanctified, perfected and holy until they were eventually translated and taken up into heaven. The United Order through Christ separated and then transformed the willing wicked into willing righteous. 

So, how is the United Order supposed to work if it is focused on caring for wants and not just needs?   There is nothing for satisfying than investing in someone and seeing them grow and develop.  On the other hand, there is not anything more discouraging  than  to continually bail someone out just to see them continue the same destructive behavior.  When it comes to the United Order, the program is to not make people dependent on and slaves to the system but lift them up and return them to profitability and self-reliance.  Dependent slavery is Satan's plan not God's.

Going back to the skilled doctor vs. unskilled janitor analogy: if the unskilled janitor has 14 kids, he is going to need to take personal responsibility, get some skills, provide some skilled labor and value to the economy, and then earn some money to provide for those children.  The United Order shouldn't be about endlessly passing out fish to the idle, unskilled, and unproductive but about teaching people how to fish so they can feed themselves and support their families.

In an economy with a traditional apprentice, journeyman, master craftsman system, instead of giving you my fish all the time,  and instead of making you my employee/slave and my dependent.  I would rather make you my apprentice, invest in you and teach you to be a doctor (building engineer) and turn you into my equal, my partner, my colleague, my neighbor, and my friend.  

Then as a doctor or other skilled professional, if you have the desire, and are willing to put in the work and make the sacrifice, you can fish for yourself.  Then you can buy the mansion next to my house and be my neighbor and be wealthy and productive with me.  

When it comes down to it, the spiritual rewards and emotional satisfaction at investing in and seeing someone progress is so much more rewarding than anything else  I could possibly think to buy with that money.

Case in point: A friend shared with me his conversion story and talked about the mighty change he has seen in his own life and how thankful he is to the missionary who sacrificed the time and money to come out from Utah to Georgia to knock on his door and share the gospel with him. We were talking about consecration and I told my friend that I am sure the Elder that taught him enjoyed great satisfaction at seeing his spiritual independence.  I would guess that that missionary considers the time and money he invested in my friend to be worth more than anything else he could possibly think to buy with the money.  

In this spirit of serving each other's wants and needs, both the giver and the receiver get what they really wanted and rejoice together.  On the other hand, In a socialist or communist welfare system, the dependent takers feel entitled to what they take and the producers mourns over what they feel has been unfairly taken.

With a Constitution that teaches a separation between government and religion, providing charity and teaching virtue is the role of religion and not the government.  Therefore government needs to get out of the business of religion.

19 Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God. (Doctrine and Covenants, Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 82)

The LDS Church practices the United Order itself as an institution more according to Acts 4:35. In the LDS Church there are no rich churches and poor churches.  There are only small branches working to grow into a full-seized congregation.  When a congregation is big enough it is divided into 2.  But while my local  congregation may not have the best catered food or entertainment at our Christmas party, the tithing money given at my local church is distributed throughout the world so that LDS members in the Dominican Republic (for example) can attend church in just as nice of a building and have access to a beautiful Temple just like me here in Georgia.

I have been to some fancy parties at other Churches.  But I would rather have hum-drum Christmas parties at my Church and I would rather clean and vacuum my meetinghouse every few months instead of paying for a janitor if it means someone else in can have access to an LDS Temple in Brazil or the Philippines or wherever.

But instead of having to continually subsidize the world, I would rather the 3rd World eventually learn to fish.  Unfortunately, the political atmosphere which is controlled by the US makes this nearly impossible at the moment. So, we will have to continue to pass out the barley loaves and fishes for the time being.

I don't want to claim to understand the United Order.  It's not my job to explain it to anyone.  If it ends up being eternal income redistribution, fine, I'll submit to it with spirit over natural man resolve. This point doesn't affect the testimony I do have that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. But I can't help but think that when the perfect social order is instituted we all will look at each other and say, "there is so much joy here, why didn't we just live this way from the start." 

SUMMARY

I feel we DO have an absolute responsibility to take care of everyone's basic needs regardless of merit or circumstances. It is actually a surprisingly inexpensive endeavor to satisfy basic needs.  However, when it comes to wants, then it becomes an issue of teaching someone to fish.  If they want it enough then there needs to be the freedom of opportunity for them to achieve and obtain what they really desire.