A World On Fire

A popular American television show recently ended its 2014-2015 season with a story that involved the recruitment of kids by a terrorist group via the Internet.  While this was a fictional story, it was based at least in part on news stories which appeared this past winter regarding the use of the Internet for the recruitment of teenagers by ISIS.

See: ISIS Recruiting U.S. Terrorists on Social Media

"Through the Internet and social media they can reach these kids and there is a small percentage of disaffected Muslim youth in America that, for a variety of reasons, feel alienated from this society," said former CIA analyst Patrick Skinner.

"Groups like ISIS have a very sophisticated propaganda machine, in fact the most sophisticated propaganda we've seen from any terrorist organization," said Matt Olsen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

"There are vultures on social media who try to take advantage of our children," said Omer Mozaffar, a Muslim chaplain at Loyola University.

This idea of terrorist groups recruiting teenagers via the Internet is astonishing.  We can add yet another threat to the many facing the youth of today.  While these groups are primarily targeting Muslim teenagers, the Adversary has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to endanger today's youth.  The Internet, through smart phones, tablets and other devices, is full of other dangers, from pornography, sexting, cyberbullying, gaming, social networks to, of course, predators hiding behind fake personas to "befriend" children.

See: 7 Dangers of the Internet for Kids

It may seem that the youth of today is surrounded by fire on every side, or that we may, in fact, be living in a world on fire.  How can we protect ourselves and our children from the flames?

Recall, if you will, the story of Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were carried away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon.  The four young men were trained as members of the kings court, and were provided meat and wine for nourishment.  But the four refused to partake, and Daniel proposed that they be allowed for ten days to eat "pulse" and drink water.  After ten days, the king saw that "their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat." (See Daniel chapter 1.)

Not long after this, however, the king decreed that anyone who did not worship an image of gold that he had had created would be cast into a fiery furnace.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the idol and "certain Chaldeans" went to the king to accuse the three of not worshiping according to the decree.  The king commanded that the three be brought before him, and when they were, he challenged them on the matter of worshiping the golden idol, adjuring them to do so lest he order them thrown into a fiery furnace in that same hour.

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).

True to his word, the king ordered the three young men to be cast into a furnace so hot that the servants who threw them in were killed by the heat.  "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:23-25).

Instead of being burned by the fire, or harmed be the heat, the three young men were protected by their God because of their faith in him.  "Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God" (Daniel 3:26-28).

The king was so impressed that he issued a new decree which forbade anyone from speaking anything amiss regarding the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “We will [not] always be rescued from proximate problems, but we will be rescued from everlasting death! Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it possible to say the same three words used centuries ago by three valiant men. They knew God could rescue them from the fiery furnace if He chose. ‘But if not,’ they said, nevertheless, they would still serve Him!”

See: A Brightness of Hope

But as President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “The Lord would want you to be successful. He would. You are His sons and His daughters. He has the same kind of love and ambition for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it.” (See: Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 614

Additionally, as Nephi said when he was commanded to return to Jerusalem to retrieve the Brass Plates, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" 1 Nephi 3:7).

In facing the challenges of today, in staying clean, keeping his commandments, and preparing to serve a mission and marry in the temple, he wants us to succeed and he will prepare a way for us that we may accomplish that which he has commanded us if we humble ourselves before him and exercise faith in him.  His grace is sufficient and he can make weak things become strong (see Ether 12:27).  "Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord" (1 Nephi 3:16).

How Important is Integrity?

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has observed:

"The bedrock of character is integrity.  Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to respond obediently to the direction of the Spirit.  Righteous character is what you are becoming.  It is more important that what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished.  It allows you to be trusted.  Righteous character provides the foundation of spiritual strength.  It enables you in times of trial and testing to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly even when they seem overpowering."

Earlier in the same talk, given at the April 2003 General Conference of the LDS Church, Elder Scott stated that:

"God uses your faith to mold your character. Character is the manifestation of what you are becoming. Strong moral character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. Your faith can guide you to those correct choices. Clearly, it is what you do and what you think about that determine what you are and what you will become. Therefore, the choices you make need to be inspired by the Lord. Others can encourage you to make the right decisions, but those choices must not be prescribed by them. You need to ponder, pray, and exercise faith to willingly make choices consistent with the teachings of the Master. Such choices are made with trust in things that are believed and when acted upon will be confirmed. Only enough guidance is given to lead you aright and not to weaken your growing character. That guidance will solidify your trust in Heavenly Father and the Savior.

Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used. Character is woven patiently from threads of principle, doctrine, and obedience. In James we read: 'The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing'" (James 1:3-4).

See:

The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing

How important do I think character and integrity are?  They are among the first things I posted about in this blog:

"Are character and integrity important? The answer can be found in the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which missionaries everywhere repeat in groups as often as once a week – they did in my day, at least, and in San Jose we also recited The Standard of Truth. 

"'. . . See that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.'

"What do character and integrity demand of the missionary? They demand hard work. I hope that you are not disappointed in the simplicity of the answer. Actually, hard work might be an understatement when it sits along side serving with all your heart, might, mind and strength."

See:

A Blog is Born

In another early post I used and analogy with the Great Wall of China:

"'The Great Wall of China, built as an impenetrable defense against barbaric hordes to the north, is a magnificent structure. . . .  Many believed the wall guaranteed that no army could penetrate the country's borders" they continued. "However, during the first hundred years of its existence, China was invaded three times. Not once was [the wall] torn down or scaled by invading armies. Rather, each time invaders entered by bribing a gatekeeper and simply marching through the gates. The Chinese had so relied on the physical integrity of the formidable stone walls that they overlooked the importance of ensuring the moral integrity of their soldiers.'"

See:

The Importance of Character and Integrity 

I came back to the subject of character and integrity a few weeks later:

"Even missionaries can struggle with issues of character and integrity as they seek to serve God with all their heart, might, mind and strength, and with an eye single to His glory.  It is often said that 20 percent of missionaries do 80 percent of the work while 80 percent do 20 percent of the work -- I always thought the split was more like 90-10. Many missionaries also struggle to live the mission rules; some may find specific rules difficult or even pointless, still others think it is cool to break the rules.

"As with the Chinese and their soldiers, our first line of defense is not the "walls" of commandments, rules or laws, but is rather our personal integrity and character.  Character underpins our humanity; ultimately it defines us as individuals and has a significant impact on motivation and performance.  Indeed, character is the foundation of all decision-making."

See:

A Return to Character and Integrity

Week 28: Kind of Dull

July 27, 1988

After the excitement last week, this week was kind of dull.  Though it did get off to a good start with a zone conference up in Salinas.  On the way back down to Seaside, we hopped over to the the Robert Talbot tie store in Carmel Valley, where I bought six more ties for a dollar apiece.

While I was cooking my dinner in the evening I suddenly remembered that we had a dinner appointment with the Nesbits and with Brother Bartlett. We were an hour late when we finally got there. I was so embarrassed, but it all worked out. We went on team-ups after eating.

It was back to work on Friday.  We tracted a street in the morning and had a teaching appointment in the evening.  We taught Victor in the home of a member family, the Syphuses, and it went well.  The Syphus family is also working with another friend, James.  We set up an appoint to show both James and Victor some videos.

We did some more tracting on Saturday, and place two copies of the Book of Mormon.  We had a teaching appointment scheduled with Robin for that evening, but it fell through.  After church on Sunday, we had a dinner appointment out in Carmel Valley with the Higgenbothams.  Brother Higgenbotham is a counselor to President Douglas in the mission presidency.  That evening, another appointment with Reuben and Robin fell through.  Instead, we went over to Monterey to attend a baptism for the sister missionaries in a member's swimming pool.

We went to show Trudy Together Forever but found out that she had just had a kitchen fire. So we went and showed the video to Sister Nesbit instead. We then talked about Nancy Oaks with Sister Nesbit. In the afternoon we went tracting.

In the evening we had a dinner appointment at the Crowley’s on Fort Ord. Sister Crowley forgot to buy some food for the dinner so she got out some Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) which is the modern equivalent of the Army’s K Rations of World War II. We had spaghetti which was actually pretty good. After dinner we did some member work at a family home evening.

We started tracting Yosemite on Tuesday morning. This street runs parallel to Noche Buena which we had so much success on. Transfer calls came out that day and we got our call at 12:30 p.m. Elder Victor is being transferred to Foster City and Elder Tango has been called as a trainer. Elder Friend and I are staying. This was a five week transfer period, usually transfer periods are just four weeks long. We went on team-ups in the evening and Brother Miller and I stopped by Trudy’s to help her move some furniture.

We left early to get Elder Victor up to the transfer van in Salinas. Since Tango is going to be a trainer, we didn’t have to wait around for the van to come back. We stopped by the Clifford’s in Toro Park on the way home and they invited us to stay for breakfast. After that we went to Carmel by the Sea and bummed around. We did some laundry and letter writing in the afternoon. In the evening we had a dinner appointment on Fort Ord.

To Solve All the World’s Ills, Cure All the Hatred, and Mend Every Wound.

On April 24, 2015, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave the keynote speech at the inaugural John A. Widtsoe Symposium at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

"Eighty years ago, the president of the University of Southern California extended an invitation to the President of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City to send someone to teach a class on Mormonism during the 1935–36 academic year," said President Uchtdorf.  "Dr. John A. Widtsoe was asked to fulfill that assignment. . . .  When Brother Widtsoe was teaching about Mormonism on this campus eight decades ago, the Church he represented looked quite different from the way it looks today. I hope you will allow me an opportunity to give a short infomercial on how the Church and its people have changed over the last 80 years. I do not wish to brag (even though it may sound like it). I hope to establish an understanding of the path we have traveled and where we are headed in the 21st century."

In the informercial portion of his talk, President Uchtdorf  spoke of the Church moving from being “insular, concerned primarily with the well-being of its own members,” to its expanded reach to help people worldwide through its welfare and humanitarian efforts.

“Today," said President Uchtdorf, "the LDS Church connects cultures, nationalities, languages, and people of every socioeconomic status,” he said. “It encourages people to be good citizens, to care for those who are in distress, to be kind to others, and to nurture and build loving, respectful families.  Today, Church members seek to create goodwill among people of all religious beliefs, political persuasions, and of every race.”

Following the infomercial, President Uchtdorf moved on to the meat of his talk, relating the experience he and his wife had in visiting Auschwitz, the concentration camp where millions of Jews were murdered as part of Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution."

"One cannot visit such a place without coming away from it changed," reported President Uchtdorf.  "We walked along the same paths that so many others had walked. One could almost see weary mothers holding the hands of terrified children, the hobbling steps of the elderly and the infirm, the despair in the eyes of those caught in a cold and terrible nightmare—the immeasurable sadness in the eyes of those who understood what was about to happen. I can imagine them looking at one another -- families, parents, children, loved ones, friends, and strangers -- their eyes filled with fear, grief, and resignation."

He went on to say, "As Harriet and I walked away from that place that has been hallowed by the blood of so many innocents, we felt changed. We were different.  We had learned and relearned important lessons that we must never forget."  President Uchtdorf then discussed three insights that "forcibly" entered his heart during that visit to Auschwitz:

1. We Hate Those We Do Not Really Know
2. We Must Speak Up
3. Divine Love is the Answer

"I am convinced that one of the major reasons these atrocities happened is because it is human nature to be suspicious, envious, distrustful, and even hateful of those we do not really know," said President Uchtdorf.  "I suppose we are all guilty of this to one extent or another. Do we really know even our neighbors and colleagues—people we greet daily? It is one of the most disconcerting qualities of being human to distrust or dislike those who are different from us in a variety of elements.  The great tragedy is that if only we could take the time to truly know a person, we would discover that perhaps we are not so different after all.  He who once was our enemy can become our friend."

Regarding the second insight, President Uchtdorf, a former pilot, used an example from aviation history.  In 1990, an airliner crashed because not one member of its crew spoke out about the aircraft's dwindling fuel state as it circled, waiting its turn to enter the landing pattern.  Then he said:

"In a world where intolerance, meanness, and hatred are so easily accessible, we have a responsibility to speak up and defend what is good and right. We have all heard the profound statement attributed to Edmund Burke: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.'

"This applies to us today. We have a responsibility to speak up for goodness, for virtue, for kindness and understanding. We have an obligation to defend the weak and stand up for the downtrodden.  In this age, perhaps more than any other since the beginning of time, we are exposed to bullies and braggarts—people who belittle others and preen themselves in prideful arrogance.

"We can and must stand and let our voices be heard. We don’t need to be provocative or belittling, but we must not allow our fears to prevent us from lifting our voices in defense of what is right and good and true."

Finally, President Uchtdork spoke about the "one virtue -- one quality" that he believes could "solve all the world’s ills, cure all the hatred, and mend every wound":

"If we only learned to love God as our Father in Heaven, this would give us purpose in life.  If we only learned to love our fellowman as our brothers and sisters, this would give us compassion 

"After all, these are God’s great commandments -- to love God and to love our fellowman.  If we distill religion down to its essence, we nearly always recognize that love is not merely the goal of religion, it is also the path of true discipleship. It is both the journey and the destination.

"If we love as Christ loved, if we truly follow the path He practiced and preached, there is a chance for us to avoid the echoing tragedies of history and the seemingly unavoidable fatal flaws of man.

"Will compassion for others bring light into the darkness? Will it allow us to part the clouds and see clearly? 

"Yes. For though we are all born blind, through the Light of Christ we can see past darkness and illusion and understand things as they really are."

President Uchtdorf concluded by saying, " It is my hope that we will look past our differences and, instead, see each other with eyes that recognize who we truly are -- fellow travelers, brothers and sisters, pilgrims walking the same path that leads to becoming more enlightened and more refined, as our Father in Heaven intends us to become."

This was a truly excellent talk, and you can read it in its entirety here:

Fellow Travelers, Brothers and Sisters, Children of God

"The Angel in the Whirlwind"

I wrote recently that during Week 27 of my mission, my companion and I had a two and a half hour long teaching appointment.  The couple we had the appointment with had come prepared with many concerns, and we spent the whole time trying to answer them.  At the end I bore my testimony, and I started doing so by first talking about the Apostasy and the Restoration.  This was an early attempt at what I would later call my Four Rs presentation.  See these posts:

Week 27: "My Weakness was Made Strong" 

Renaissance, Reformation, Revolution, Restoration 

I was recently reading about Lehi's Dream and Nephi's vision in the Book of Mormon.  Nephi saw "the church of the devil set up among the gentiles; the discovery and colonizing of America; the loss of many plain and precious parts of the Bible; the resultant state of gentile apostasy; the restoration of the gospel, the coming forth of latter-day scripture, and the building up of Zion" (see chapter heading to 1 Nephi 14).

Nephi wrote that he saw "a man among the gentiles . . . and I beheld the spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren" (1 Nephi 13:12).  "This man," said President Ezra Taft Benson, "of course, was Christopher Columbus, who testified that he was inspired in what he did.

"'Our Lord,' said Columbus, 'unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed.  Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed.  But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me.'"

At the October 1992 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley discussed the importance of the role in history played by Columbus.  "A host of critics have spoken out against [Columbus]," he said.  "I do not dispute that there were others who came to this Western Hemisphere before him.  But it was he who in faith lighted a lamp to look for a new way to China and who in the process discovered America.  His was an awesome undertaking -- to sail west across the unknown seas farther than any before him of his generation.  He it was who, in spite of the terror of the unknown and the complaints and near mutiny of his crew, sailed on with frequent prayers to the Almighty for guidance.  In his reports to the sovereigns of Spain, Columbus repeatedly asserted that his voyage was for the glory of God and the spread of the Christian faith.  Properly do we honor him for his unyielding strength in the face of uncertainty and danger."

President Joseph F. Smith acknowledged an important link between the establishment of the United States of America and the Restoration of the gospel: "This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth.  If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom.  The Lord has done this."

Religious freedom was necessary before the Restoration could begin, and the founders of the new American nation were inspired to establish a government in which church and state were separate.  According to Elder Robert D. Hales of the twelve, when he spoke at the October 2005 General Conference, "Over a century [after the discovery of the Americas] such religious feeling guided the founders of a new nation on the American continent.  Under God's hand they secured religious freedom for every citizen with an inspired Bill of Rights.  Fourteen years later, on December 23, 1805, the Prophet Joseph Smith was born.  The preparation was nearing its completion for the restoration."

An issue that remained unsettled at the time of the founding of the new American nation was that of slavery.  This issue, among others, would lead to a great civil war, but there would first be a period of, if not tranquility, at least of relative calm on the issue of slavery.  In March 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed and signed into law.  This was likely but a few weeks before the boy Joseph walked into the grove of trees near his home to seek wisdom from God through prayer.

In 1846 and 1847, as the Mormon pioneers made their way across the plains, the great compromise of 1820 began to unravel because the United States went to war with Mexico and acquired new territories in the west.  The Missouri Compromise was effectively repealed in January 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  The quiet period of American history was at an end, and the arguments were underway that would lead, eventually, to the secession of the southern states and to the American Civil War.  In 1836, the prophet Joseph had prophesied of the coming rebellion, that would begin in South Carolina, and that from that time forward, there would never really be peace on the face of the earth.

I have long thought that it was significant that the Restoration through Joseph Smith occurred in the period of relative calm between the Missouri Compromise and the War with Mexico.  It could also be significant that the Saints enjoyed a relative isolation in the valley of the Great Salt Lake while the period of relative calm came to an end back east and the nation fought its great civil war.  Following the end of that war, the transcontinental railroad would be built, which would end the isolation of the Saints in their mountain home.

As Joseph Smith said, “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny many defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited very clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

The Great Jehovah, who showed to Nephi in a vision the discovery, colonization and the founding of a new nation on the American continent, is at the helm.  He is guiding this Great and Marvelous work in this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.  It was He who commanded Nephi to keep a record on what came to be called the "smaller plates" for a wise purpose known only to God, and the record on those plates would be an important part of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.  It was He would inspire Columbus to "sail the ocean blue," and it was He who would inspire others to follow.  He was the "angel in the whirlwind" who guided the founding of the new American nation.  It was He who restored His gospel to His prophet.  He is still at the helm to guide His church, this nation, and each of us through the momentous events that are unfolding and will continue to unfold until the day He comes again.

"Wherefore," as Nephi said to his brothers, "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the lord" (1 Nephi 3:16).  Let us put our trust in Him.  Let us seek His will, and then let us do it.