Each day brings new scenes of confusion and grief. There is no respite from the raging storms. Where is the shelter I seek?

My feet are weary of the hard and treacherous road. Where is the safe place I can lay my head?

A Song comes in the night, showing me safe passage. It leads me to safe harbor, and quiet rest. I am warmed and fed, and clothed in Strength, with robes unseamed.

Though all around me burns, and the tempest rages on, yet there is Peace. The quiet Voice soothes the troubled soul and hope is in my heart again.

Renewed and uplifted, I travel on, finding those who have stumbled in the way. I can lift and help and give His healing draught.

I will show the Hope I have within. I can tell the new Day.

I guess she’s not aware that Mormons only made for about 3% of the vote in California. The majority of people who voted in favor of Prop8 were Blacks and Hispanics. But, because Shepherd “was stricken with guilt and shame” for not doing enough to help the civil rights movement, she now needs to find a cure for her latent bigotry.

So, she feels better attacking people of faith.

The real kicker is this statement, “I felt as though I hadn’t done enough to help the civil rights cause and as I gradually began to understand, what is the most recent excuse to deny people rights under the law? To treat them as less than human and once you get that kind of right thinking you realize how important it is to stand up for the gay and lesbian kids who are at greater risk because they don’t have community support and sometimes their parents kick them out. Particularly in L.A we have more runaways then anywhere in the world.”

Ms. Shepherd is unable to distinguish between civil rights and natural Rights. Marriage, if it can be called a right at all (a claim I dispute, by the way), existed prior to Government, which puts it squarely in the category of natural rights. Government has no authority to define Marriage, because government didn’t create Marriage.

Nobody is advocating treating Gays and Lesbians as less than human, and denying them Marriage does not make them less than human. Another example of the high-quality intellectual product being released by Hollywood.

Finally, does Ms. Shepherd really think she can try to equate runaways in Hollywood with parents kicking their gay children out? The claim is utterly preposterous and without foundation, and is entirely disingenuous.

She should stick to the things she knows, like acting. How IS that acting career working out, Cybil? Oh, wait…

I’ve been a few times in the past, but this was the first time I got to actually accompany someone. It was really thought-provoking.

They had us attend an orientation to help us understand our responsibilities, during they told us that on the Church records these people are listed as “unaccountable.” This is based on scriptures from the New Testament, which states where no law is given there is no punishment, and from the Book of Mormon where it says that little children are alive in Christ. These people are like little children, and thus no law applies to them.

The statement was made by the service missionary conducting the orientation that these people are Celestial beings, only here to obtain a body, having previously done all else that was required of them, while in the pre-mortal life. That makes sense to me, having had our own Celestial being with us for a couple of days.

But I got to thinking about their mortal existence. Many of these people cannot care for themselves at all. If they were left to themselves, they would soon die. I thought how interesting it is to consider that these people, Celestial beings, are trapped in a body that allows them no freedom at all. Their entire day is planned for them. They go wherever they are taken. Some cannot even voice a protest.

2 Nephi, chapter 2 speaks about the two types of creation; things which act, and things which are acted upon. Verses 13-16, and 25-57 are of interest to me here:

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other….

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

So, these people are free under the Atonement, but are they kept from exercising their freedom to preserve their status? Or did they volunteer for this temporary prison, to give the rest of us an opportunity to exercise Charity? Or are they fulfilling the same kind of path that Christ took, where they descend below all things, in their case all things that act? It is certainly an interesting question to ponder.

I usually won’t spend a lot of time talking about people on this site unless I feel they really have earned the distinction. Mr. Spencer has crossed the line from the political to the dogmatic in such an overt way that I felt compelled to address his claims.

I’m going to refrain from addressing the claims of divine endorsement for Mr. Spencer because I believe that most people are wise enough to see such silliness for what it is without any help from me. Instead, I’d like to focus on the claims he has made regarding his position and why it contrasts with that of Jason Chaffetz.

The Bush Tax Cuts

Mr. Spencer has said we should not make the Bush tax cuts permanent because they are hurting families. Mr. Spencer obviously has not been watching the news in the last four years. Nationally, unemployment has been at it’s lowest level in decades, which means that more families have a better income than we have seen in years. How is it that we can have almost non-existent unemployment, but still our families are hurting as a result of the tax cuts?

Mr. Spencer also implied that Jesus would vote to repeal those tax cuts out of compassion. Mr Spencer obviously believes in a very different Jesus than the one I know. Did the Jesus of the Bible teach that we should support governments that engage in legal plunder to benefit those who will not work at the expense of those who will? Or that we should support governments that will usurp the role of the Church in caring for the poor and the needy? Was Jesus a Socialist? If you are Christian, and especially LDS, you must answer a resounding NO!

Jesus believed in obeying the law of the land correctly. An example of this is found in Matthew 17: 24-27.

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay atribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Jesus questions Peter’s submission to a law which did not apply to him. The tribute spoken of was a tax collected on foreigners (strangers), which did not apply to citizens (children). Initially, the United States operated on a tax system very similar to this. It wasn’t until the Progressives (Socialists) came into power in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that we began to tax the “children.” Socialism was not what the Founders envisioned.

Immigration

Mr. Spencer wants you to believe that Jason Chaffetz’s plan is to round up all 12 million or so illegal aliens and hold them indefinitely in a concentration camp-like tent city. Mr. Spencer is simply incorrect about Jason’s plan. We all know rounding up 12 million or more people into one place is a logistical impossibility. Jason knows it too. But it is interesting to note that each time in our history that we have begun to rigorously enforce our border laws, and arrest a good number of people, an even larger number of those here illegally return to their home country of their own volition.

You see, there is no way for them to know if they will be arrested next or not. Rather than take that chance, they prefer to exit the country. It works every time. There is never a need to round up everybody.

Mr. Spencer would have us believe that Jesus would want a “very compassionate” immigration policy. But he doesn’t go into detail on what that entails, so we are left to only guess at what he means.

But “compassion” is always the buzz word trotted out by those who apparently don’t believe we should be enforcing our laws for one reason or another. Mr. Spencer wants us to equate compassion with not rounding people up, which means with not enforcing our border laws. But we LDS believe in honoring, obeying and sustaining the law–even if we disagree with it. We don’t believe in flouting the law for compassion’s sake. In fact, we believe just the opposite.

Let no man break the alaws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

We can see that God’s position in the scriptures is one of obedience. We may not break them ourselves, but the result is the same if we allow them to be broken by others and we do nothing.

We believe that agovernments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men baccountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. (D&C 134: 1)

A careful study of the issues brought up by Bennion Spencer indicates that he is not in line with the mainstream of thought in Utah’s Third Congressional District, even though he actually lives in the district. It also shows that he is not in line with Christian doctrine on government. There are several more points to cover, but they will be addressed in the next post.

The California State Supreme Court this week struck down the public initiative, passed overwhelmingly in 2000, which strictly defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The precedent is historic and frightening. The effect of this ruling is to say that four unelected men or women, largely unaccountable for their actions, can overturn the will of the people at a whim.

Of course, the useful idiots of the Left call this “Justice,” and in their meager intelligence equate this ruling to that in Brown v. Board of Education. Reason breaks down that argument in a moment. The Left attempts to make of these two issues one question of discrimination. They cannot be tied this way.

The discrimination that was struck down in Brown is wrong because skin color or race is a condition of birth that cannot be helped or changed. Brown is bad law with good intentions.

The alleged discrimination being targeted by the justices is not unjust because homosexuality is not a condition of birth. The many formerly gay men are proof that sexuality can be changed. It is a question of will. The California ruling goes far beyond judicial activism. It falls well into the realm of judicial tyranny and usurpation of power.

Earl Warren used the power of the Court to enforce the provision in the Declaration of Independence which holds “that all men are created equal.” In this decision in California, the effect is the exact opposite–all men are not created equal, and some have more rights than others.

This violation of the principles of the Declaration will not stand. One of two things will happen. Either the voters will overturn the ruling by ballot initiative in November, or the people will not be able to overturn the ruling, the decent people of California will refuse to live under judicial tyranny and will leave, and those who remain will destroy themselves. Either way, marriage will not be defiled.

The Book of Mormon informs us that the Nephite government was brought down due to the sedition and treason of the judges, the lawyers and the high priests. No government can long endure when the judges and lawyers no longer honor and sustain the law. By enacting this law unlawfully from the bench, the justices blatantly disobeyed a greater law, which sets a balance of power in the state governments.

Some have argued that this will not go to the US Supreme Court because it’s a state issue. However, the Constitution guarantees to every state a Republican form of government. Therefore, the US Supreme Court should step in to uphold the will of the people under the banner of protecting and upholding the republican government in California. It is unfortunate that this will never happen.

The useful idiots of the Left will continue to say that this was justice being enacted. They completely ignore the founding principles of this nations for this moment of expedience. The separation of Church and State only goes one way for them; Religion may not influence government, but government can dictate religious practice and observance “in all cases whatsoever.” Sound familiar?

These people approve of tyranny when it agrees with their agenda. They are tyrants themselves. Their desire is the enslavement of their fellow men. As seditionists and traitors, they have no business claiming the benefits of this country. I would not defend them against expatriation. In fact, I would encourage it.

The conclusion drawn by Oliver “Buzz” Thomas in USAToday is frightening. In his April 21st editorial, “Might our religion be killing us?“, Mr. Thomas openly states that among others Mormons, with our encouragement for large families, and Catholics, with their opposition to birth control and abortion, are hastening the extinction of the Human Race.

Don Feder, who is not LDS, writes a rebuttal that can be found on Meridian Magazine, and at his website, GrassTopsUSA. I would strongly encourage you to read Mr. Thomas’ editorial, and then Mr. Feder’s response.

Mr. Thomas questions how these organizations can claim to be led by God when they espouse doctrines that are so obviously harmful to our environment. The arrogance is really astonishing. In Mr. Thomas’ opinion, he and his Green Leftist friends are obviously the holders of the correct doctrine, and religions are simply pretenders when it comes to knowing the mind of God. He never even pauses to consider whether he might be wrong. I mean, Christian religions have only been around for about 2,000 years. What would they know?

In his response, Mr. Feder correctly points out that “All of the left’s crusades begin with proselytizing and end in coercion.” Put another way, the Left ends up killing people to further their ends, regardless of what those ends are. The Left pretends to be peaceful and benevolent; that’s just a mask to lure the world into complacency. They convince the people to put them in power. They begin carrying out actions to meet their goals. The opposition stands up in protest, and then begins to disappear, one by one. Years later, the news headlines expose the Progressive movement for what it really was–a screen for murderers and psychopaths. It is a repeat of every revolutionary movement in the world’s history. As Isaiah says, quoting the anti-christ, “there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.”

The Book of Mormon warns Americans about this very thing.

Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

Are we listening? Are we awakening? It is time to stop these murderers before they come into power. If we should allow them to come into power, God says he will not protect us. We chose our destiny, and he will not intervene.