No matter what your political affiliation be, it is evident that we are coming into troubled waters. Conniving men and women are polluting the delicate infrastructure of freedom, and are slowly, and assuredly, destroying the sacred morals that have been a shinning light upon hill to all nations. However, it is clear by reading the below revelations that Evil will have its day in the sun, but Good will triumph. ~Paul

Joseph Smith Jr. “We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: ‘Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City, July 19, 1840) (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 623 – 624). Words of James Burgess: “In the month of May 1843, several miles east of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies; also upon the Constitution and government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but this people, the Latter-day Saints, will step forth and save it. . . .I, James Burgess, was present and testify to the above” (The Words of Joseph Smith, 279).

Bruce R. McConkie “It is our firm conviction as a people that the stars and stripes will be waving triumphantly in the breeze, as a symbol of the greatness and stability of the United States of America, when the Lord comes. This nation was established to be the Lord’s base of operations in this final gospel dispensation. From it the gospel is to go to every other nation and people. The greater its influence among the nations of the world, the more rapidly the gospel spreads. But the Lord has told us that all nations, the United States included, shall cease to be when he comes” (The Millennial Messiah, 491).

Ezra Taft Benson “The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time ‘this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction’ (Journal of Discourses, 7:15). It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 618 – 619).

Harold B. Lee Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem. . . . This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. We are living in a time of great crisis. The Country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with fault finding and condemnation. There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country. I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. . . . It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through. We must be on the optimistic side. This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands. While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin. We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation. On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation. You must remember . . . that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should . . . all sound with one voice. We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has. If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists. We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country. It is the negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today. We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world. Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism. (Excerpts from a talk given at Ricks College Devotional Assembly, “Have Faith in America,” October 26, 1973, and printed in two sources: Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee, 340, 350-351, and The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, 365-366.)

“Hello Ladies…” A friend sent this recent viral video for the BYU Howard B Lee Library over and I was amazed at how good it was. The video was based on the current Old Spice commercials, “Man Your Man Could Smell Like”. Amazingly, the BYU spoof video garnered over 1.2 million views in four days. If you haven’t seen it, you are in for a treat!

Hey, my LDS friends. We are helping a graduate team at Carnegie Mellon University in researching how Mormons use Facebook and other Internet communities. If you have a Facebook account we invite you to take their quick and easy survey.  Also, it would be immensely helpful if you could pass the survey onto your LDS friends.

TAKE LDS FACEBOOK SURVEY

Every other weekday I attend Seminary as the Priesthood visitor for our tiny class (there are only two students representing all four years of our high school). It has been quite some time since I’ve graduated from Seminary, but I’ve come to realize the beauty of studying the gospel so early in the morning.

Recently, the teacher shared a lesson on the importance and power of  a name, particularly within our religion and our beliefs. We give baby blessings that put our children’s names upon the records of the Church; God asked Adam to name all the beasts of the field, and even Eve; and we, of course, are quite particular about the name of our Church.

If you have ever watched old Church commercials (pre-1990′s) you will see at the end the Church’s name and then the tagline “The Mormons.” This has evolved over the past few decades, and now you don’t see the word “Mormon” attached to the official Church name. Rather, you see a strong emphasis on the name of Jesus Christ. If you see a missionary badge (or any official literature of the church) you will notice that the font of “Jesus Christ” is four times bigger than the rest of the name of the church.

Understanding this, the teacher gave us a handout breaking down the name of the Church and showing the meaning behind it. This comes straight out of the Book of Mormon manual (see 3 Nephi 27:8), but I had never read it before so I thought I would share it here.

The Church

“The first two words of the name the Lord chose for His earthly organization are The Church.

“Note that the article The begins with a capital letter. This is an important part of the title, for the Church is the official organization of baptized  believers who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ (see D&C 10:67–69; 18:21-25). . . .

“The Church is the way by which the Master accomplishes His work and bestows His glory. Its ordinances and related covenants are the crowning rewards of our membership. While many organizations can offer fellowship and fine instruction, only His church can provide baptism, confirmation, and the ordinances of the temple—all bestowed by authorized priesthood power. That power is destined to bless all children of our Heavenly Father, regardless of their nationality” (in Conference Report, Mar.-Apr. 1990, 20; or Ensign, May 1990, 18).

Jesus Christ

“By divine directive, the title of the Church bears the sacred name of Jesus Christ, whose church this is (see D&C 115:3–4). . . .

“We worship God the Eternal Father in the name of His Son by the power of the Holy Ghost. We know the premortal Jesus to be Jehovah, God of the Old Testament. We know Him to be ‘the chief corner stone’ upon which the organization of His church is based (Ephesians 2:20).  We know him to be the Rock from whom revelation comes to His authorized agents (see 1 Corinthians 10:4; Helaman 5:12) and to all who worthily seek Him (see D&C 88:63)” (in Conference Report, Mar.-Apr. 1990, 19; or Ensign, May 1990, 17).

Latter-day

“It is true that scriptures foretell the final days of the earth’s temporal existence as a telestial sphere. The earth will then be renewed and receive its paradisiacal, or terrestrial, glory (see Articles of Faith 1:10). Ultimately, the earth will become celestialized (see Revelation 21:1, D&C 77:1; 88:25-26). But its last days must be preceded by its latter days!” (in Conference Report, Mar.-Apr. 1990, 18; or Ensign, May 1990, 17).

Saints

“A saint is a believer in Christ and knows of His perfect love. The giving saint shares in a true spirit of that love, and the receiving saint accepts in a true spirit of gratitude. A saint serves others. . . .

“A saint ‘refrain[s] from idleness’ (Alma 38:12) and seeks learning by study and also by faith. . . .

“A saint is honest and kind, paying financial obligations promptly and fully, treating others as she or he would want to be treated. . . .

“A saint is an honorable citizen, knowing that the very country which provides opportunity and protection deserves support, including prompt payment of taxes and personal participation in its legal political process (see D&C 134:5).

“A saint resolves any differences with others honorably and peacefully and is constant in courtesy—even in traffic at the rush hour.

“A saint shuns that which is unclean or degrading and avoids excess even of that which is good.

“Perhaps above all, a saint is reverent. Reverence for the Lord, for the earth He created, for leaders, for the dignity of others, for the law, for the sanctity of life, and for chapels and other buildings are all evidences of saintly attitudes. . . .

“A reverent saint loves the Lord and gives highest priority to keeping His commandments. Daily prayer, periodic fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings are privileges important to a faithful saint.

“Finally, a saint is one who receives the gifts of the Spirit that God has promised to all His faithful sons and daughters (see Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:17–18)”  (in Conference Report, Mar.-Apr. 1990, 18; or Ensign, May 1990, 16-17).

Here is what I have written in my scriptures from my seminary days:

Recently, General David Petraeus, the commanding general of the U.S. Central Command and not a member of the Church, began his remarks at BYU by reading the below list. His light-hearted top 10 list was welcomed with laughter and applauses from the BYU students. The list proves just how good the general is at recon with an unfamiliar religious group =).

General Petraeus laughing with BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson. Image Credit: Jason Olson

General Petraeus’ Top 10 reasons BYU grads make good soldiers:

10 — They have already been on many a mission.

9 — Army chow is no problem for folks accustomed to eating green Jell-o and shredded carrots.

8 — It’s not a problem if they don’t know what rank someone is, they just refer to them as Brother or Sister so-and-so.

7 — They never go AWOL. They just call it being less active.

6 — They will seize any objective swiftly if you tell them refreshments will be served.

5 — They know how to make things happen. In fact if you ever need a base built quickly in a barren wasteland, stride out to where you want them to start, plant your walking stick down and say in a loud voice, “This is the place.”

4 — They have innovative ideas for handling insurgents — like assigning them home teachers.

3 — They always have a years’ supply of provisions on hand.

2 — They are the world’s most reliable designated drivers.

1 — They understand how far Iraq has come over the last seven years, and they think that Iraq’s old spot in the “Axis of Evil” can now be filled by the University of Utah.

Source: Deseret News