Prisons of Mediocrity for the Unconditionally Loved

I once worked in a prison, keeping equipment running so that prisoners could call those outside of prison, among other things. The vast majority of the prisoners had people that would accept their phone calls, even though such calls were collect calls and very expensive. People paid hundreds of dollars to talk regularly with one inmate or another, helping them feel less lonely and more loved.

Doesn't that sound nice?

I also worked with other prison employees who monitored these phone calls.  Many of them were called "grooming" calls, where an inmate praise the callers and then would ask favors, often illegal activities, from those called. There were regular prosecutions of prison guards as inmates "groomed" them into doing something illegal to prove love or loyalty to that inmate. Sometimes, it was just a game that bored inmates would play with gullible guards just to see if they could turn them into criminals. I saw it happen time and time again, watching guards turn into prosecuted inmates.

Whenever I hear the phrase "unconditional love", I recall that inmates would often use such phrases to "groom" a future victim - "If you really love me unconditionally, you would do this thing for me."  The favors would start with innocent requests and then move up to something unethical, then illegal, the game being how far you could get a victim to go. I don't hear just the voice of a pleading inmate, playing a "let's get them in trouble" game, I hear manipulative children extorting their parents. "You won't punish me for something horrible I have done.  You will shield me from the authorities because if you don't, you must not really love me and that makes you a terrible parent/friend."  And the victim usually does what is requested, just to avoid appearing or being accused of being unloving or not "proving" their love.

This is why the use of "unconditional love" used in glowing talk just turns my stomach. I know people who are doing prison time for being baited into compromising moral requirements by looking the other way or doing an illegal act.  People who appeal to such a term are either being groomed by evil forces or inviting evil to play around them with impunity and excuses until they are destroyed and helping others to also be destroyed.

We don't become better people by hanging around those preaching unconditional love. You don't have to be a better person if those around you fail to hold you to a higher standard. God wants better out of you and your "loving" parents should want better from you as well.  There is no room for excused behavior and attitudes that want no more than a mediocre lack of effort - excused people don't improve and don't grow into better people. Let it and them slide and people will slide as low as people's "love" will tolerate.

I hope you are as suspicious of such talk as I have become.

The Fallacy of Retroactive Repentance

Some eager Latter-day Saints have an idea that everyone can seek repentance, even Lucifer and his followers. All they would have to do is to be contrite.  Although this sounds good and "loving", these rebellious souls sealed their fate by flatly rejecting Heavenly Father's plan.

Lucifer and his followers cannot repent.  Repentance was a facet of Heavenly Father's plan which the Satanic rejected before it was even put into place.  Repentance is for those who received Jehovah as the Savior and participated in the plan.  The Satanic walked away from the plan before repentance existed.

It is like buying a car with a $100,000 price-tag.  In a few months, that car model goes on sale for $50,000.  You get grumpy because now you feel like you paid $50,000 too much.  You can't retroactively go back to the car place and demand the return of $50,000 and actually get it.  You paid the price as set at the time. 

Perhaps Lucifer's decision to oppose God was a gross act of impatience, wanting God's "honor" earlier than it was available to him through righteous living and the stipulations of Heavenly Father's plan. Perhaps he thought it could just be demanded and God, out of love, would give it outside of the plan in the offer to force all his children into complete devotion. It seems Lucifer didn't understand the criteria for exaltation and he became ungrateful and indignant when God's "honor" didn't come to him.  Nevertheless, Lucifer rebelled against the Father and his plan and was thrust out before repentance was instituted and gave us a deep example of really bad timing among other insults to God and his ways.
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Are your leaders committed to "overthrow the freedom of all lands"?

There is all sorts of talk about wicked people in high places. Depending on who you talk to, the American President is either one of the wicked people or someone who is trying to dethrone the wicked people. It has become quite the issue in the United States of American to either tear down the established bureaucracy or defend the "sweet" deal friends enjoy in service to the establishment.

It really is a difference between government "reform" (not really) and tearing down the established evil.

In the scriptures below, "it" refers to a group called the "Gadiantion Robbers" who work wickedness so that they can enjoy power (control) and gain (money) without interference.  See if you see the powerful and rich in the verses below.

Ether 8:25

25 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.

These people who seek power are doing the work of Satan, which rewards those who serve him lavishly but only for enough time to destroy them and take thousands to hell as well. 

Ether 8:26

26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.

It is our responsibility to "do good continually". It will be our individual and collective righteousness that will render Satan powerless in our lives.  We will do away with evil as we choose to follow Christ and elect people to positions of power over us who also follow Christ.  This binds Satan and gives us Liberty from the consequences of sinful natures that we abandon.  This is the only "freedom" that will being us  lasting joy.

Forgive Others and the Lord will Forgive You

We live in a time and world that will pick apart everything that a person says or writes, often in the interest of destroying people. In a world where the greatest ability is to tear down you competitors in order to raise one's personal status. As identified later, this indicates a lack of charity. You make mistakes, I make mistakes, we would do well to be kind to each other.

The Nephites, especially Moroni himself, says he has no great gift for writing. He was shown that there would be many detractors that would dismiss his words out-of-hand given the use of a wrong word or another.

Ether 12

35 Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly.

36 And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity.

37 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

There are several situations in which the Lord highlighted in New Testament the idea that if one doesn't "dig a pit" for your neighbor or give them the same consideration you would hope for from others, the Lord will forgive one of their shortcomings as well.

Moroni was talking about those who reject the Book of Mormon over poor writing. Those how are looking for offense can certainly find such in the work of men who are trying to convey spiritual concepts for which they sometimes lacked words to describe to satisfaction. Grace is plead for and grace would forgive something akin to bad grammar and not taking the opportunity to vilify, which our times are most apt to do.  Moroni saw us and our doings, so he knew that his writing weakness would be used against the Book of Mormon as sacred scripture.

Note that the Lord doesn't fault Moroni for his weakness and promises him a fine reward for his efforts. The general lack of charity these days (I think the use of charity in this situation can be applied broadly as it is used in other scriptures) will not be visited on the writer, but on those who reject the writing. God works through men and giving those men given "a break" in doing their service to the Lord will be rewarded with not only a break from Christ, but rewards that any of us should expect from a God that sees into our hearts and doesn't damn us for our stylistic weaknesses.

God is kind, and we all should be to each other.  Everyone deserves a break. 

Don't Let Evil Get Above You - You Actually Might be to Blame for America.

I wrote a small booklet some time ago titled "You are Not to Blame for America" which highlighted the corruptions of GUS (Government of the United States) and how any individual voter had no power to stop its demise. One vote won't change the direction of the world, but your one vote speaks to God of your loyalty to righteousness and its enthronement in your life.

Much of the world is now led by elected officials. This means that your obligation to vote and empower righteous people as leaders does not let you ignore the culpability of your choices. If your leaders cause your community and nation to turn from God, the fault lies as much in those who voted for such as those ruining things in the voter's name.  No one can claim that they were powerless to prevent the enshrinement of wickedness and evil - if you vote for wickedness, you wanted it to rule.

I know it is hard for those who think themselves insignificant little victims, but the unchecked spread of wickedness in this world that God gave us as a stewardship is caused by those who give them power, either through their utter ignorance, desire to have others pay the price of their living, or foolishly vote for people who promise some "free" ride or socialistic utopia of enslavement.  If you choose to abdicate your power through not voting or "just following the crowd", you will be punished alongside the evil leaders that you empowered.

Ether 8:23

23 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.

"...and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you,..."

It should be obvious that this situation already exists in much of the world. The seeds of our destruction at the hands of God are already sown, though it is still possible to eradicate the evil who have been allowed to rise to positions of great power. The rise of figures that "drain the swamp" are very promising and may rescue us from "the work of destruction". 

"...the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you,...if you suffer these things to be."

Yet again from the Book of Mormon, we see that God himself will execute judgment on us if we allow ourselves to be ruled by "these murderous combinations".  The Lord doesn't pity your poor use of citizenship, he will punish us for allowing our personal vote (or deciding not to cast it) to put evil into power.

Being complicit in the rule of evil will get you the same judgment as those you have empowered, so take your ability to vote very seriously.  Letting yourself vote uninformed or choosing not to vote is absolutely no excuse in judgment!

Honoring God as your best Father and Benefactor

Pursuing what we know of God's purpose and commandments and furthering the understanding and compliance with them.

Bringing honor to your "earthly" father and mother (even if they don't merit much respect) becomes an indication that you place the concept of fatherhood highly and that a chief purpose is to present God this fatherly honor, knowing him to be an exemplary father, honored best by obedience and gratitude and making God's purposes your own. When you were sent to earth, which is distant from God, you could cultivate whatever relationship you wanted with your Heavenly Father, including none at all. There would be very little overt reaction from the Father either way during life. A worthy God is not raised through compulsion.

This all presupposes that what one desires is within a father's gift to provide. A knowledge and understanding of more feudal forms such as fealty (from faithfulness) and tenure (being a tenant), as humans are living on the Lord's (very proper title) world. Several parables from Christ indicate these relationships very strongly, and that our tenure in this life is pretty much the only thing we can honestly "own". Everything else belongs to the Lord and your acknowledgement of this will be required.

 Your larger future is God the Father's to bequeath, which term I choose specifically. It is nothing that one such as ourselves can either take or earn. If you are to seek a lofty status, such as exaltation, it is most likely to be gifted to you from a father who has seen your ability to hold it in accordance with his wishes and as something lose to his worthy successor.

Of course, God doesn't die and doesn't leave you "his things". He lives on and is actively engaged in his present pursuits, but the expanding nature of the universe lets him gift you "godhood" and a realm to "lord over" without any diminishment to what is his own.  I can see in his expansive holding, his granting you a galaxy or some such, which also expands as much for the one getting the gift as the one giving.

Our ultimate example of a person who has received the Father's bequeath is Jesus Christ. He accomplished a very heavy assignment, which "pleased" the Father, that can be translated into the gifting of exaltation. I don't think others are meant to do what Christ did specifically, but they are certainly given mortal assignments to perform and opportunity to "please" God.

We reference the parable of the talents where the servants are given stewardship over much. This comes from pleasing the Lord in early, small stewardships. The Lord controls these stewardships and grants them as he wills and as we prove our loyalty to him.

This is where the idea of openness and democracy are revealed as telestial props with God far away. The church and celestial places are the Lord's and not democratic institutions. Stewardship are given via the Spirit which is the telestial conduit to the Lord. 

Temples are not open in democratic ways and cannot be accessed democratically. Bishops authorize priesthood advancement as a standard to meet as opposed to a reward for good behavior or training. This is added responsibility not an honor. The Lord sets standards of responsibility in offices of priesthood and callings, not for convenience or capacity. Think of the talents again. Women in Priesthood would be given as a stewardship from the Lord, not a status or honor or leadership like so many think.

Hope for a Better World

Is life getting you down?  I get like that often enough when I consume too much news or opinion, but you have to stay in touch with society, only because they will make changes that affect you that you really need to plan for and know about. Otherwise, I might just check out entirely, at least as much as my wonderful wife and autistic son will tolerate.

The prophet Ether lived in a pretty tough time. The government (known as the King) was changing all the time and not by vaguely smooth elections, but typically through insurrections of royal kids against their fathers. Over time, leaders were just rotten guys on the whole but sometimes at least reasonably decent to their followers.  Later, it was just grasping for power and destroying all opposition to their rule, so they were all wicked.

Ether 12:3-4

For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled— 4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

 Ether's teaching was really exotic in a land of evil. He actually told them what they could have, which must have seemed like some fantasy to the people. I think everyone was ready to be destroyed and it was just a matter of when and how much luxury one could acquire and enjoy before the destruction happened.  I would say that most of the people didn't think much about the future, especially an afterlife, in the push to get ahead today and in the immediate tomorrow.

But that is exactly what Ether was preaching about - a better life and afterlife that God offers to those who follow his ways. It isn't an exclusive offer only available to certain people; this is available to ALL that are willing to pursue it. The key is the words SURITY and SURE above. If you do things that God asks you to do, like repenting of your sins, You will ABSOLUTELY get A BETTER WORLD with a promise from a God that you can completely TRUST.

If you have been tricked or promised something that couldn't be delivered, you might get really jaded and un-trusting.  God can be trusted to do what he says especially as he sent Jesus to do his Atonement to overcome sin and death. Jesus did it and God had him do this most difficult thing. Do you trust God yet?

As we learn that God can be trusted to make good on his promises, we can obey him and reap the seemingly impossible rewards he says he will give us.  I, for one, am working to align with God and his purposes and get the rewards promised!