Truth will be found

I have been deeply troubled over the topic I will discuss today.  The veracity of the Book of Mormon.  Before I deceive anyone today, I am not troubled over the actual veracity of the Book of Mormon, for I know it is true.  I am troubled over how many people actually believe the arguments that come up against it.  For those who are reading this and are unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon, it is another testament of Jesus Christ that goes hand in hand with the Bible.  It is the testimony of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.  How powerful to know it was not just the inhabitants of Jerusalem who testified of Christ, it was the people here too.  This is not my topic of today though.  Enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have long tried to disprove the veracity of The Book of Mormon, and how it came to be.  I will take just one modern day argument they have.  I would like to point out that standing alone none of these arguments hold, any intelligent, scientific, person can tell that the arguments are lacking and that there is most likely a reasonable explanation, so the enemies of the church put all of them together to make them appear valid.  What kind of Science is that?  I will take one today.  They have done some DNA testing of some native Americans, and it does not match up with the DNA of people from Jerusalem.  Ok, the key word here is some.  They have not tested every single person who's ancient inhabitants came from here.  They say their DNA matches more with the Asians.  I'm ok with that, why because again the key word is some.  Our own Book of Mormon talks of other inhabitants, the Mulekites, the Jaredites. Who are we to say there wasn't more, they just weren't mentioned in the Book of Mormon.  If there were more who are we to say they didn't intermingle with the descendants of The Book of Mormon.  The record in the Book of Mormon stops about 400 AD, so we have over a thousand years unaccounted for.  Not only that we have over two thousand years only accounted for by one group of people.  I don't think you have to be a scientist to see that this reason alone does not disprove the Book of Mormon.  This was one of the stronger arguments.  The point I would like to make is you will find what you are searching for, you will find where your heart is.  If you don't want to believe, you will find reasons not to.  If you do, if you have any desire at all, Moroni promised in Moroni 10:3-5 "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom  in God that ye should read them...........and ponder them in your hearts.  And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." I testify that all who try this experiment will receive an answer.  I know because God has answered me.  I know it is true.  God will not answer me one way, and you another, else in one of the cases he would be a liar.  If you choose to disbelieve my testimony then you choose to believe I am either crazy, naive, unintelligent, or a believer in fairy tales.  If you truly know me, you should know none of these are true.  I write this out of love for all my family and friends who have been misled by these enemies. I need you to know, I do not consider any of you to be an enemy, nor will I ever.  For I have seen you as God sees you.  You are not my enemy.  All of you are Sons and Daughters of God, I have seen what you can become.  That may seem bold to say that, but God has given me that gift.  My prayers are always with you.

Courage

Today I feel to talk of courage.  Throughout all ages courage is a virtue always admired.  People who have truly possessed it are almost always remembered.  But what is courage.  In todays world I feel it is being distorted.  I recently read an article by Matt Walsh regarding Michael Sam that addresses this very issue.  I really couldn't have said it better myself.  In fact I enjoy reading his articles.  It is good to know there are people out there willing to stand up and be bold in spite of popular opinion.  This in and of itself to me is an example of courage.  To my kids I am often quoting to them, anyone can choose the wrong it takes courage to choose the right.  Everyday we make choices, some good, some bad, for none of us is perfect.  It is easy to choose wrong, not so easy to choose right.  The world would have us believe it is courageous to come out of the closet, to be atheist, and to point fingers at the so called religious bigots.   My question though is how is that courageous when all the world applauds them.  No, it is much more courageous to stand up for what you know is right, even though you know you could lose everything.    It is much more courageous to do that which is hard, and even go against your own nature because you know it is the right thing to do.  We all have weaknesses, to give in and say that is just who we are is not courage.  We all are guilty of this from time to time.  I believe most anyone would agree with me that a child molester should not be allowed to molest children because that is just his nature, that is just who he is.  We were created to become more than our human selves, we were created to become like God.  We do not have to do this alone, of course we will make mistakes, but to give up is not courage.  There are so many examples, of businesses, and people who have taken a stand and suffered because of it.  Yet in spite of their suffering they stay true to their values.  This is courage.  This is also integrity.  This is what will be remembered.

Loving the sinner but not the sin

I realize it has been over a year since I have written, I have not felt the urge until now.  I have been pondering on the great prophet Mormon, and his son Moroni.  For those unaware of who these two great men were, they are the last prophets of the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ.  They compiled everything together and sealed it up for our day, to be found by the boy Joseph in the year 1820.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ to be used hand in hand with the Bible, but it accounts for the people here in the Americas, the ancestors of the Native Americans. Mormon in his 16th year was asked by his people, who by this time were not a righteous people, to lead them into battle.  It is amazing to me, that these people, although not righteous could still feel the strength and love of Mormon a God-fearing boy, not much older than the prophet Joseph Smith was when he saw God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.  At age 10, he was approached by Ammaron, the prophet at the time, and told where Ammaron would hide the records that had been kept for centuries by their people, and asked Mormon to get them when he was older, and finish the record.  At age 10, he was asked this.  At age 15 he was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus ( Mormon 1:15).  He was commanded not to preach anymore among his people at this young age because of the hardness of their hearts, yet he was to remain among them.  Not only did he remain among them he served them.  He took command of their armies, he prayed for them, when they sorrowed because of the blood and carnage among them he had hope that perhaps their hearts were turning and they would repent.  He never gave up hope on them.   Only when they lusted after blood, and boasted in their armies, did he refuse to lead them  (Mormon 3).  After a time though, he led them once more, when in his words "they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions".  Mormon and his son Moroni sorrowed for their people.  No anger, lack of forgiveness, or unfair judgements were cast on them, rather they sorrowed after them.  As an example Mormon cries, "And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried;  O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord!  O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!  Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen.  But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss".  His soul was rent with anguish.  Mormon and Moroni served their people until they and Mormon had all been killed.  Moroni wrote more in the records, in hopes that the Lamanites, in whom they had been fighting would someday be converted.  I write this because it is a beautiful example of loving someone, but not giving in to their sin.  They did serve and love their people, but not once did they give in to their ways.  Not once did they declare their ways to be right.  Saying all this I bring a modern example.  Truly there are many, but I choose this one because it is the one making headlines.  Homosexuality.  How do we deal with this.  Many years back, when the state I was living in first put forth the proclamation that marriage is between a man and a woman, the liberal background I was raised in caused me to protest this in my mind, but our prophet asked us to stand for it, and so I did.  Now years later I have come to understand the wisdom in it.  People cry out, we are being bigots, we are not being Christlike, we are the sinners.   They are wrong.  I will show you.  A person close to me was at the grocery store one day, and saw a woman downtrodden, and approached her.  Speaking with her it was easy to determine that she was in a same sex relationship, and she had a child.  Also speaking with her, this person determined she needed immediate help.  This friend of mine brought her into the grocery store, and bought a huge amount of groceries for her, and then gave her 100.  The person I speak of stands for the traditional marriage.  As Mormon of old refused to lead his people when they lusted after blood, but still served them and prayed for them, we must do the same.  I do not pretend to know what people with homosexual tendencies are going through.  I do not pretend to know whether they are born with it or not, but I do know all of us are born with weaknesses that either we can overcome with the help of Jesus Christ, or we can give into them, and live in misery.  I have had great weaknesses, that I could not overcome without divine help.  It took time, trust in my God, constant prayer, and his power to do it.  Yet of course I still have more to overcome and will not achieve perfection in this life.  But step by step and through the atonement of Jesus Christ I will someday make it.  It is ok to make mistakes we all do, it is not okay to let these mistakes define who we are, and give up, that will not bring us peace, or joy in the end.  We must be willing to do it his way.  I know a life of celibacy is lonely, many heterosexual people live it as well, but God, and Christ will give you peace and the strength to continue, and perhaps in this life he will change you in such a way, that celibacy will no longer be required.  I know he can, but I also know it is in his timetable.  The one thing he promises us, is Peace in this life, and Eternal Life in the world to come.  In him literally all things are possible.  Only by turning our lives completely over to him, can we truly feel of the love he has for us, and feel his divine power.  I have felt it, I know it is real.  In conclusion, I will always love all of my brothers and sisters, I will serve them as my friend did, but I will never try to redefine God's laws.  I will stand up for what is right, always.  I can be called a bigot, and many worse things I am sure, but I know in whom I trust, and I cannot waiver from that.