Sabbath Day, November 16, 2008, Religion and Government Continued.

This is continued from last Sunday's post. This is inclusive of Doctrine & Covenants 134: 7-12.

"7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religous opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.

8. We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.

9. We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.

10. We believe that all religious societies have a right o deal with their members for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such societies; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.

11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and frievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws and relief afforded.

12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not believe it right ot interfere with bondservants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or influence them in the leaset to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude."

Sabbath Day, November 9, 2008, Religion and Government.

Doctrine and Covenants, Section 134, describes the LDS view of government and its relationship with citizens and citizens relationship with government.

"1. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.

2. We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.

3. We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a republic, or the will of the sovereign.

4. We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.

5. We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedation and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgements are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.

6. We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men show respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker."

The remaining verses (7-12) will be located in next Sunday's Sabbath post.

Thanks for visiting!

Sabbath Day, October 26, 2008, "The Daffodil Principle"

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say,

"Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead.

"I will come next Tuesday",

I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.

Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there.

When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said,

"We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!",

I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks",

Carolyn said.

"I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn",

I said sternly,

"Please turn around".

"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden".

We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped.

Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?",

I asked Carolyn.

"Just one woman",

Carolyn answered.

"She lives on the property. That's her home."

Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs", it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain". The third answer was, "Began in 1958".

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way",

I admitted to Carolyn.

"What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.

"Start tomorrow",

she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?".

Use the Daffodil Principle.

Stop waiting....

...Until your car or home is paid off

...Until you get a new car or home

...Until your kids leave the house

...Until you go back to school

...Until you finish school

...Until you clean the house

...Until you organize the garage

...Until you clean off your desk

...Until you lose 10 lbs.

...Until you gain 10 lbs.

...Until you get married

...Until you get a divorce

...Until you have kids

...Until the kids go to school

...Until you retire

...Until Summer

...Until Spring

...Until Winter

...Until Fall

...Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching.

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Sabbath Day, September 7, 2008

Regarding the U.S. Constitution...

"The Church unequivocally declares, nothing doubting, that God Himself set up the Constitution of the United States, and that He so declared, saying:

"I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose," and the Constitution shall "be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles."
--D&C 101:80, 77

The Church further declares that such laws must be framed

"and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life."
--D&C 134:2

The Church has, for one hundred years, accepted as complying with the divine mandate, the form of government set up under the Constitution."

By J. Reuben Clark, Jr., To Citizens' Conference on Government Management, Estes Park, Colorado, 1939

Source:

"We Believe", by Rulon T. Burton

Sabbath Day, February 17, 2008

What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.

"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Here is a description of one of our beliefs.

The following information comes from www.mormon.org

"The Restoration of Truth
The Restoration of the Priesthood

Throughout time, God has given His servants, the prophets, the authority to act in His name. This authority is called the priesthood. Jesus Christ gave the priesthood to His original Twelve Apostles, and they directed the work of His Church after Jesus ascended to heaven. After the Apostles were killed, the priesthood gradually disappeared from the earth.

In 1829, Joseph Smith received the restored priesthood authority to organize Christ’s Church. John the Baptist appeared and conferred upon Joseph Smith and his associate Oliver Cowdery the Aaronic Priesthood, which includes the authority to perform the ordinance of baptism. Later, Peter, James, and John (three of Christ’s original Apostles) appeared and conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, restoring the same authority given to Christ’s Apostles anciently. In 1830, with this priesthood authority, the same Church of Jesus Christ that existed centuries ago was organized and restored to the earth by Joseph Smith.

A living prophet—the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the present Apostles trace their authority to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations through Joseph Smith.

All male members of the Church who are worthy and prepared may receive the priesthood to help lead the Church and serve Heavenly Father’s children. A man with the priesthood might serve by leading congregations of the Church, performing the ordinances of the Church (such as baptism), and blessing those who are sick. God expects those who hold this sacred priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ and serve with love, gentleness, and kindness."

This Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a blessing everyday in my life. I can see how living its principles everyday changes my views to positive instead of negative. There is peace at home, with my relationships, with my activities outside of home, and a better balance overall.