Modern Day 'Scientific' Views Toward Religion Nothing New - Part 2

After using a kind of empiricism (since I can't see it, it doesn't exist) to debunk any sort of faith in Christ, prophecies and any internal manifestation that anybody has had that has brought them joy, peace, testimony or a witness from God, Korihor goes on telling his listeners that, with all these 'foolish things' removed, man is free to do whatever he wants. His doctrine is so common in the world that we don't see it for what it really is: a doctrine resulting from pure unbelief.

And here it is:

1. Every man fares in this life according the management of the creature.
2. Therefore, every man prospered according to his genius.
3 Every man conquered according to his strength.
4. Whatsoever a man did was no crime.

The resulting effects of Korihor's preaching leads many to lift up their heads in their wickedness. They have received license from Korihor to so anything they want. Along with the economic doctrine stated above, many people fall into sexual transgression. You might as well do whatever to want because when a man was dead, that was the end there of.

I see the affects of Korihor's doctrine across America and the world. Do you see it? Instead of trying to further ascertain what the Korihorian traditions are in our our world today, why not establish some principles that correct these false ideas? Mormon and Alma were decrying these false doctrines, so why don't we? Perhaps the following adjustments could be made to Korihor's teachings stated previously:

1. We all collectively fare in this life according to the management of each individuals unique gifts and talents.
2. Therefore, we all prosper collectively according to each of our God-given geniuses.
3. No man need conquer because of the love of God spreading forth into the hearts of man.
4. Having a good desire toward God and man, giving freely, believing that all temporal and spiritual gifts are to be used for the betterment of society as a whole is The Way. Perhaps it's a crime to do otherwise.

Korihor's 'there is no crime' dog eat dog, 'it's mine' doctrine, stirs up the carnal, natural parts of the human psyche. Instead, we ought to be teaching mankind how to attain to a higher plain of existence. The gospel of Jesus Christ, if followed, does exactly that.

Modern Day 'Scientific' Views Toward Religion Nothing New - Part 1

Introduction

As in America, during the reign of judges in the Book of Mormon, everyone was on equal grounds with respect to the law.  A man could believe what he wanted.  Korihor, an unbeliever, began to preach  to the people.  He reminds me of conversations I have had with those that no longer believe.   Based on science, evidence and empiricism they preach almost exactly the same thing regarding those who have faith.  After the unbelieving empiricist establishes the apparent foolishness of faith, they then begin to teach an amoral, carnal way of life (since a higher faith is out of the picture).  A basic tenant of their doctrine is that it is obvious that there is no God since God has not revealed Himself unto THEM.  Their logic is, since God hasn't revealed Himself to them, he hasn't revealed Himself unto anybody, past, present or future.

Here's a summary of Korihor's faith-based attack:

1. You are bound down by a foolish and vain hope.
2. No man can know that Christ really came (or that he will come again).
3. Prophecies are foolish traditions handed down from older people.
4. No one can know with surety anything about the future.
5. This is because you cannot know the things you cannot see.
6. Therefore, no one can know that there be a Christ.
7. Looking forward for a remission of your sins is the effect of a frenzied mind.
8. A believer has a deranged mind because he believes in the 'traditions of the fathers'.
9. This faith leads the believer into a belief of things which are not so.
10.  Thus, there is not atonement made for the sins of men.

I have been told that everyone who has received internal and external manifestations from the unseen world is having a hallucination.  Korihor used frenzied and deranged to describe the same thing.  The unbeliever says that since the scientific process 'can't' measure these phenomenas they really don't exist except as figments of our imagination.  They call this freedom.  They can now do anything they want.  They surmise that following their natural impulses is right.  No more higher faith-based laws to live by!

This isn't freedom!  It is captivity of the worst kind.  The Book of Mormon describes this condition as the chains of hell.  The chains of hell connote a state in which a person knows nothing of the things of God and considers all things related to faith, hope and righteousness as foolishness.  A person who knew the truth always falls into this condition by degrees.  They give into their natural proclivities (vices, sin, cynicism), the Spirit which they previously felt dims until one day this light is completely extinguished.  People around them can see the decline but the individual, for some reason, can't.

The Answer

Plant the seed of believing back into your heart.  It will begin to grow.  When you feel these swelling motions inside, know that the seed is good.  If you can only hope to believe, that is the place to start. Start doing (changing) something that you know you need to do (change).  You will get the witness from God once again in you life.  Let this grow and soon all the light and truth will return.

Draft - Following After the Desires of Our Hearts

I was reading in Alma 28 and 29 this week.  I have been wanting God to shock some of my children that they might know the truth.  Alma wanted a similar thing and did 'sin in his wish' (v.3).  The next few verses were not very hopeful to me.  The firm decree of God is that He grants men according to their desires - unto death or unto life (v.4).  These agency decrees are unalterable because each person has their will - either to salvation or to destruction.  And that is just the way it is.   If a person knows good from evil, it is given to him according to his desire (v.5).  All I can hope for is that I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance (v.9).  One thing I can do for the unrepentant is pray (v.10).  So, there is hope.  Alma infers that people prayed for him and that he prays for others and that his prayers are heard.  A merciful arm was extended to him as it is to others.  So, no speaking with a trump of God (v.1) forcing everyone to hear.  Along with prayer there is another element of labor involved (v.15).  As Alma preached the gospel, he never reviled back when persecuted.  He (and every other follower of Christ) permitted those that were angry at what they heard to have their fits of rage and fight back.  By doing so, Alma (and all of us) shows his faith in God, relies on God to take the matter in His hands demonstrating that he is willing to persecuted for His name sake.  This long suffering and patience is what shows our faith in Christ.  We are emulating Christ in word and action.  We become saviors on mount Zion.  This kind of faith divides the group that is listening.  It provides the maximum opportunity for the listener come around.  It also seals the fate of those that persist in their fight against God.

What I do when I Feel Down

 Whenever I feel down, I have to step back and reestablish my belief system and pull myself back to a higher plane.  I then recommit to God that he is in control (since we need to believe that He is).  I also remember the Spirit telling me that when much is given, much is required.  The Spirit told me, that since I wasn’t given much (parental neglect, poor modeling, various kinds of abuse) much is not required of me.  My capacity is where it is at and only through the grace of God (Jesus Christ) will that change.  It bothers me that I tend to pretend a lot around others or inadvertently convey to others that I have it all together.  Or, maybe everyone knows that I am a mess but are too kind to say anything.

So, stay calm, relax, put your trust in God and BE STILL.  As soon as you can be still, inspiration will come.  Being Still is an accumulation of letting go, trusting, fearing not, and meekness – all wrapped up in a meditative state – waiting the Lord to give you direction (in His own due time).  If our minds are too cluttered we are not in a place to receive revelation.

Learning from Hard Things

In a conversation I had with Karen, Dan and Kayleen, I learned something profound. 1. Spirit - The Spirit directs us regarding what we are supposed to learn from his current situation. We also observe that many role models (friends and relatives, etc.) do not seem to learn the things of the Spirit but continue in the same critical, rejecting spirit. 2. Emotions - Our emotions creep in and make us so angry (upset, impatient) about our current situation (children, insolvency, whatever). We have self recrimination (I could have done it better in the past), self reproach (cursing ourselves for what we have done, it is all our fault), what will others think (our perceived image in the eyes of others), and fear that someone might say something negative regarding our apparent lack of being able to do it right (raise a 'righteous family', measure us for church callings and reject us, etc.) 3. Behavior - Because of these emotions flowing through us, we exhibit wrong behavior. We want to take it into our own (natural man) hands and shame others because we feel shamed. We want to use force. We choose not to accept and love others because withholding it makes good sense (to the natural man. Our defenses are already hieghtened because our own self-recrimination and reproach. We believe that others are thinking about our failure and talking about us. If persecution (indirect or direct) comes, we are in the mindset to revile back (defend ourselves). Our pride and our image are on the line. So what is to be learned in the present when things are not working out the way we want them to? I believe that the current situation is the perfect situation for each our current growth. We may learn patience, kindness, and love. We learn what it means to hope, endure and believe. We end up having to look inward instead of outward (blaming others for our unhappiness). We then learn to forgive ourselves and others. We learn to revile not at the intolerance (persecution) of others. So, if this is what needs to be learned, our current imperfect situation is the perfect place to grow. What we want so badly to be different is not what we are supposed to learn. We are all in the crucible of life being redirected by God toward the tree of life. Our righteous indignation is really a self-satisfying childish demand to get what we want.

A truth about Defending Ourselves

From my scripture study this morning, I came across an interesting verse in Alma 24:19. It says, 'And thus wwe see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even death rather than commit sin....' They had decided as a people to bury their weapons of war. The leader said (v. if our brethren seek to destroy us ... behold, we will go to our God and shall be saved.' When is not defending yourself a truth? If I read the sermon on the mount literally, I can easily come to this conclusion. But, I think this is a matter of faith. If we have faith that God will fight our battles, what is God going to require in order for us to show our faith? How far does God take us? From my reading of scriptures, many times the person or people are taken right to the edge or over the edge to see if they will continue to exercise faith. This happens to Nephi when he was beaten with a stick by his brothers, to Alma and Amulek when cast into prison, Nephi when tied the ship's mast, and the list goes on and on. When the collective faith of a people is strong enough, they can rely on the promises of the Lord, that He will deliver them. But, some of the converted Lamanites do die. This being taken to the edge and then some, is always the case when one's faith hasn't yet been tried in that area. After we pass through the trial in faith, we know the truth (that God comes through) and we no longer need to be tried. When the same kind of trial happens again, we either are delivered or we take our stripes willingly for God's purposes to be fulfilled. What do I mean when I say for God's purposes to be fulfilled. There are many instances in the scriptures where a person who already had demonstrated faith, endures persecution or even death to optimize the possibility of conversion of others and conversely, to bring condemnation upon those that are hardened.