After the New York Gay Vote

Chris Sawyer, a furry artist based out of Los Angeles asked:

All of these banners appeared on freeway overpasses here in Los Angeles bearing dire religious messages.

I can't imagine what the knuckledraggers in the mid west might be doing. Come on christian america! Why is gay people having equal rights so scary???


Answer:

Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning that which shall shortly come to pass. Yea, that which shall terminate in the death and misery on hundreds of millions. This people will not heed the signs given. Their sorrow after the events of 911 have passed quickly. They laugh at a woman who mocks my commandments, who wears the suit of a man, and surrounds herself with people who have rejected me and my commandments. They who turn away their ears from hearing my commandments; their prayers shall be an abomination unto me.

The destruction of the twin towers of Babylon, and the fires and deaths only portrays that which shall shortly come upon this whole nation. They embrace the pollutions and doctrines of Babylon. I have said that Babylon would be destroyed in one hour. Those high buildings of glory both came down in one hour. Such shall this contemptible, despicable nation be. It shall perish in one hour. Scorners shall see it come. 

I told Isaiah when the towers fall there shall be great slaughter. And devouring fire, tempest, and hailstones.      ("A"-bomb-a-nation" = Fallout)

The abomination of desolation shall stalk the land and consume the wicked. Yea, men shall curse God because of that sickness. They think their judgment is more righteous than God. They will pray in vain for peace. But I will not hear them, because they have rejected mine word. That law which is my command. As with the minister so it shall be with the people. The rich and the poor. The high and the low, they shall all shed blood and rot together. The merchants of the earth shall weep when they see the smoke of Babylon burning. Because no one will buyeth their merchandise any longer. 

The blind leaders, and all the people have closed eyes and cannot see the signs of their destruction in time to repent.
I cannot void my words given unto holy men in the past.

What has been fortold must come to pass. Men and women harden their hearts instead of opening their eyes to see what will save them. Instead of seeing the sin of this nation, they accuse others to justify their abominable acts.

I have said before that the righteous few left shall tread upon the ashes of the wicked. The daughters of Zion are about the most rebellious. They teach their children not to obey our fathers commands. But they embrace the doctrines and heathen ideas of Babylon. See how many will embrace the heathen idea of Babylon and decorate their homes and shops, with ribbons and ornaments in the shortly coming days ahead. 

I shall scab their heads, and slay their men because they continue in their traditions. Why should I continue with this generation any longer?  Yea, the past 40 years have been enough. They have no prayer in their schools. The races mix their blood to their own death. They strive for the pleasures of this world and embrace the sins of Sodom.
I have told thee before that I have had enough!

Some ask how could such disaster as 911 happen? Others know, how could it not happen! This people reject the words of Moses; the commands of God to his people. Today they have so rejected God that they are no longer his people, and they  deserve what they get. I say again some women are the worst. They shall weep bitter tears in vain for their children because they have taught them by their own example to reject God and all of his commandments which are written to see.

I told thee before that they will reject thy warnings until their blood is shed. This must be so because they have rejected me and the holy men that I have sent before thee.

They will excuse away thy words as those of a crazy man.
Yet they seek not to know and understand themselves.
I must rid the earth of their kind. My Kingdom shall come, the time is fulfilled, my Kingdom shall be established.

My rule shall come. They who fight me shall be slain before me as I have said in the past. Woe unto Zion, thy destruction and desolation is at hand. Weep ye for their sins.     Even so, Saith the Lord your God.

Plain, isn't it?  People laugh at the man who received this revelation, but I can't ignore this.  There are too many people who see and say the same thing.  Forcing the Christian Church to marry those with same sex attraction is prelude to Nuclear Annihilation.   Besides, Gay Advocates are useful idiots to the corrupt and evil among the ruling class.  They will probably be the first up against the wall when the Communist Revolution comes.  Is there any reason why Jesus should not order the U.S. to suffer Nuclear War?

Back from Youth Conference

Sometimes, you need a break.

I had gotten that break when I had gone to the Hunter Fourth Ward (in the Utah Hunter West Stake) Conference this year. As young mens' secretary, and by extension the Ward Photojournalist, I had been taking pictures of our journey.

We left the Meeting House at about 4:30 PM, and made our ride to Duschane, Utah. From there, we road on to Red Indian Loop where our camp site was. On the way, I was taken at the beauty of the mountain top and at the copses of trees strewn about. I immediately thought of creating something from that breathtaking idea. It was just inspiring to a creative.

Arriving at the camp site, our camp was already set up and ready to go. We just need to make sleeping arrangements after dinner. I slept soundly, and everyone was excited. The bishop had to tell the boys to shut up.

The next morning, we had eggs and hash browns and the boys had built a fire. But before we got the canopy up, we had our first (and only serious) accident. Jack Allred had punctured his palm with a spike from the canopy. He called it his Jesus Wound and immediately had to treat it. Robby and Lacy then composed us into teams and told us the rules of the game. This year's theme was on Spiritual Treasure; and it had a pirate theme. Then we headed to Flaming Gorge to see the dam, and take the dam tour. With many dam jokes being said along the way.

The tour was informative. They told us how the dam was built, how the canyon of Flaming Gorge got its name, and how many men it took to build the dam working seven days a week. Then they told us how the electricity was generated, and who bought electricity from the dam, even cities as far as Nebraska.

We went river rafting after, and I had gotten a sun burn. Because of this sunburn, I deigned to go swimming the next day. The rafting was fun. Our rafting boat was the "dry" boat and the crew was composed of Robert Parker, a 68 year old convert and his first Youth Conference; Jack Allred, and Stephanie. The rapids weren't too bad, and we only got stuck on one. Jack had fly fished, and we went along at our own pace. I had taken some good shots of the Flaming Gorge canyon and the river itself.

Ah . . . At the final stretch, some girls had helped us get into the river. We had sandwiches for lunch, and then we had chicken, fried chicken, and rice for dinner. Robert Parker had sliced his hand open, while Jack had covered his wounded hand in salt. The salt acts as a reactive agent, cleansing the wound. Salt was used since the Stone Age, and can be still used today. After that, the youth played a little game. But my back was sore and I couldn't concentrate.

The next day, we ate some fruit with our breakfast. After the morning festivities we went to Lake Stienaker to swim. Everyone, except me, Jack, and Brother Parker; did a little swimming and some boating. The best part about the swimming is that Nathan Fairclough had dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow and rowed to port. All the kids were happy, mezmerized, that Captain Jack Sparrow had arrived! One of the kids was buried in the sand up to his neck. After this, during the evening, we had navajo tacos for dinner and then we headed towards a cave.

The drive was only ten minutes, and we hiked down to a clearing. After another activity, we had to rappel down the cave. We nearly had a very serious injury in our group. One of the group ran down the cave face, tripped, and sommersaulted down the cave. He was miraculously stopped. For if he had not; he would have split his head open. The high point that Madeline had conquered her fear: the fear of dying from falling a long way. She rappelled down to the cave. I've made sure I've got three pictures of her.

After everyone had made it, Nathan Fairclough had rappelled and climbed down the cave's mouth as Captain Jack Sparrow! Then Lacy Densley's sister had given a great devotional on how the World can make something seem attractive: by making black look white. I helped out by pointing that Hollywood manipulates Latter-day Saints on the MPPA ratings issue; PG-13 movies are seen as okay, but I pointed out that the Spirit of the Law is what is really needed when choosing entertainment (i.e. a good example is the movie: The Passion of the Christ vs. say . . . Pirates of the Caribbean). After that everyone was awarded with the treasure for making it down there -- a copy of For the Strength of Youth and some candy. Then we climbed up the mountain, going the way we came.

The night had turned Spiritual, and many had given their testimonies of the Gospel, of Christ, and the Church. Then we went back to camp and I promptly went to sleep. By gum, I'm determined to GO TO SLEEP at a decent time!

This morning, we had pancakes, eggs, bacon, and ham. We ate up, we broke camp, and left for Evanston. We stopped at a dine-in Pizza Hut Pizzaria and had pizza. Then we made the long trek home. It was a good Youth Conference. Especially for myself.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Public Walkthrough

Teary eyed. That's how I feel tonight, teary eyed.

I don't usually talk Spirituality on this blog, since I don't know how many readers actually understand matters of the Spirit, but . . .

It was wonderful.

For those who want to know what goes on, all I can say is that for Christians, its where the symbols of how to get to Heaven and to Know Who You Really are taught. An LDS Temple, both inside and outside, are the most beautiful buildings built by Man on the face of the Earth.

The best materials available always go into the construction, adornment, and furnishing of the temple. Gold, silver, the best cloth; no expense must be spared in making an LDS Temple beautiful. It is the House of the Lord. It is the place where true liberty, life, and happiness dwell.

Gordon B. Hinckley Died

President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

Brother Gordon Bitner Hinckley was a great man. He was definitely a prophet, as mighty as Moses, Elisha, and Simon Peter. He enjoyed service to the Church for most of his life: having given many of the Proclamations to the World from the Messiah. As the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Messiah's own church, he presented the Church to the world. From the time he was President, many temples had been built -- exploding from very few to 132 Temples across the world (one in Ghana, one in South Africa, one in Boston, one in Hong Kong, one in New York City, etc.). Even though he didn't live to see the Jerusalem LDS Temple built (which is forthcoming and to be built by Latter-day Saints) his actions will lead for that to be built.

He presided over an Era of Temple Building, and the explosion of the Internet, and an era of increased faith and spiritual awakening all over the world. He was one of the greatest men today, as Theologian in Chief (not Commander in Chief). So, who will be the new President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? President Thomas Monson.

Confessions of an LDS Free-thinker (3)

This is the third of my confessions. I think. Lately, one of the things I have been wrestling with is the meaning of the words sustain and emulate. This is simply because my Bishop of my Church congregation (called a ward) has been giving me some grief over what sustain and emulate actually mean. As a free thinker, I'm an agent unto myself and I am capable of creating as God does. Same as any other human on the planet.

However, in my quest to learn more, I am frustrated by my Bishop's understanding of what it means to support the Leaders of the Church. I support the leaders of the Church, I really do, but as far I understand things, my support can go only so far as sustain is defined. However, my bishop is only interested in "sustaining" the Leaders as so far as emulating them as examples of how we aught to live our lives. And this gives me a headache since I do not believe in blind obedience.

sustain

Transitive Verb.
Pronunciation: \sə-ˈstān\

Function: transitive verb

Etymology:

Middle English sustenen, from Anglo-French sustein-, stem of sustenir, from Latin sustinēre to hold up, sustain, from sub-, sus- up + tenēre to hold — more at sub-, thin

Date:

13th century

1: to give support or relief to
2: to supply with sustenance : nourish
3: keep up, prolong
4: to support the weight of : prop; also : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)
5: to buoy up <sustained by hope>
6 a: to bear up under b: suffer, undergo <sustained heavy losses>
7 a: to support as true, legal, or just b: to allow or admit as valid sustained the motion>
8: to support by adequate proof : confirm sustains our contention>

Now, emulate.

emulate

Pronunciation:

\ˈem-yə-ˌlāt, -yü-\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

em·u·lat·ed; em·u·lat·ing

Etymology:

Latin aemulatus, past participle of aemulari, from aemulus rivaling

Date:

1582

1 a: to strive to equal or excel b: imitate; especially : to imitate by means of an emulator
2: to equal or approach equality with

So, are we supposed to bear up our leaders, to buoy them up, and to support them as legal and just? Or are we suposed to imitate them? Really, I have no idea at what my bishop is trying to get at. If it is the former, I do that wholeheartedly. The latter, I'm not to sure about. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are taught that Jesus' life is our example, and that Jesus is our exemplar. Jesus is the Master of all the masters; His teachings supercede Buddha's, Lao Tzu's, Confucius', Moses', and Joseph Smith's. These other masters all complement their Master in their teachings on how a person can reach his or her fullest potential. So, why is emulating President Hinckley more important than living the Life of Jesus? I have no idea; but I'm beginning to feel that I'm being pulled this way and that way with my relationship to my bishop.

Bigotry still exists in our Country . . .

The Reverend Al Sharpton made a faux pas. Rev. Al Sharpton said, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those that really do believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don't worry about that. That's a temporary situation."

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney [pictured] called Al Sharpton on his remark. Mitt said: "It shows that bigotry exists in some corners. I thought it was a most unfortunate comment to make." The Presidential hopeful further remarked, "I don't know Reverend Sharpton. I doubt that he is personally such a thing. But the comment was a comment that can described described as a bigoted comment. Perhaps he didn't mean it that way, but the way it came out was inappropriate and wrong."

Commentary: I find it unfortunate that the Reverend Al Sharpton had to make such a comment. The comment proves that there are misconceptions that still exist in the Bible Belt about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe that the comment was made in ignorance of Mitt Romney's faith and devotion to God. I have no doubt that the Rev. Al Sharpton is a good man. He just has some misconceptions about LDS Church. Fortunately, the good Reverend made a public Apology to the Presidential hopeful from Massachusetts.
Is the beliefs of Mormons like myself unique from mainstream American Christendom? In many ways they are. But in other ways, we believe in the same God, the same Creator, the same Savior, and the same Holy Ghost. We believe in the same teachings of the Master Jesus Christ. And many of us, myself included, believe that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior. What the Rev. Al Sharpton did was shocking to me.

Understanding Integrity

What is Integrity?

A very good wife of a friend of mine said that I was eloquent on the understanding of Obedience and Integrity. Integrity is an abstract way of describing that you are willing to be true to what you know is true or what you believe to be true. Integrity should be the impetus for obedience or your obedience is blind.

The Laws that Govern Integrity

Each one of us has the capacity to govern ourselves. We are fully capable of governing ourselves and take responsibility for ourselves and our actions. This is integrity, and integrity is a powerful tool of people who have strong testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Law states that Truth creates Freedom. Truth gives us the Freedom to do what we want, to create what we desire, and to enjoy what we have. Therefore, if Truth creates Freedom, a Lie creates bondage. Lies, no matter how expertly they have been conceived as truths, will always put you and other people in bondage.

Blind obedience to anything is a lie. When we obey out of fear, or obey just because everyone else is doing it, we are lying to ourselves. Blind obedience is always transfering your personal responsibility to someone else. It doesn't matter who it is, you are making someone else responsible for your actions. Integrity, however, is something different. When we have integrity, we are empowering ourselves to take personal responsibility for our actions.

When we have integrity, we have power to choose for ourselves. We, in fact, practice true Free Agency. Because with integrity, we have the self confidence and the power to make our own destinies as we see fit. We don't give up are personal responsibility for our actions. We live truly free.

In other words, Obedience is blind without our integrity.  We must be honest with ourselves as to why we are obeying the 10 Commandments in the first place.  If we are obeying the 10 Commandments out of fear or because of the Bandwagon, our obedience is blind.  If we can honestly say that "I love Heavenly Father, and I desire to be with Him, be a part of Him, and become a God" and we obey according to that righteous desire; we are obeying out of Love.  And we will gain more freedom for doing that.

If we cannot answer that question honestly, then we are living a lie.  Obedience out of blindness, or blind Obedience, takes away our freedom and our personal responsibility and gives it to somebody else.  Integrity is not Obedience, it is the power and ability to be honest with yourself and to be confident with yourself.

At least that is how I understand Integrity.

New York Doll

I have seen a most wonderful documentary about Arthur "Killer" Kane. Arthur "Killer" Kane was one of the New York Dolls. I don't have a picture to show for it, but the New York Dolls was one of those bands that influenced rock music. They were the original, Heavy Metal Rock Band; and Arthur "Killer" Kane was a part of that.

The movie, titled New York Doll, is this documentary about this influential rock star. It tells about his quick rise to stardom as part of a glamour rock band, and then it's meteoric fall. And when Arthur Kane hit rock bottom, he slapped his wife and jumped out of his kitchen window. And while he was recovering from the fall, he came across the Book of Mormon ad in the T.V. Guide and asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon. Two sister missionaries working the Los Angeles Mission showed up and gave him a copy and proceeded to tell him about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And just some time after that, Arthur Kane was in the Family History Library working as a Temple Worker. But he always wanted to reunite the New York Dolls. It was his desire for a long time, and it was granted. They had a wonderful time in London. Arthur Kane dressed up and had a wonderful time with his band. However, he soon died of Leukemia after this. And this film, New York Doll, is a wonderful tribute to his life. If you are a New York Doll fan and you haven't seen this film, I would ask that you get a copy so you can follow the life of an old favorite. I wasn't a New York Doll fan, though. I was born in 1974; way too young to appreciate Arthur Kane's work.

Outside Links: Craven Lovelace, Punk Magazine