If there is one single verse of Scripture that I think needs getting acquainted with here, it is Verse 6 of the 98th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;. Given by the Lord Jesus Christ thru the Prophet Joseph Smith, at Kirtland, Ohio, August 6, 1833, its message is clear that The saints are to befriend the constitutional law of the land. as stated in the section outline. It is preceded in Verse 4 by the statement it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them., and I believe, it was well echoed and even magnified by then Apostle David O. McKays statement in the October 1939 General Conference that: Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.
By revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in Verse 80 of the 101st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declared that He had established the Constitution of the United States thru wise men raised up unto this very purpose. In the April 1918 General Conference Heber J. Grant stated: I believe, as does our beloved President Joseph F. Smith, that the Constitution of the United States was written by the inspiration of Almighty God. And in the April 1935 General Conference, President J. Ruben Clark said: To me...that statement of the Lord, I have established the Constitution of this land, puts the Constitution of the United States in the position in which it would be if it were written in this book of Doctrine and Covenants itself. This makes the Constitution the word of the Lord to us.
In the April 1963 Conference, then Apostle Ezra Taft Benson said: ...the Lord told his prophet there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. And on another occasion he stated: For years we have heard of the role the elders could play in saving the Constitution from total destruction. But how can the elders be expected to save it if they have not studied it and are not sure if it is being destroyed or what is destroying it? (TETB)
In the October 1966 General Conference President McKay stated: We all know that...there has been an alarming increase in the abandoning of the ideals that constitute the foundation of the Constitution of the United States.... Until rather recently certain General Authorities expressed similar concerns, but now it seems left to us to decide for ourselves if the situation has improved or worsened since then.
In the October 2001 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinkley reminded us that The Constitution under which we live....is our God-inspired national safeguard ensuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law.
Included in a First Presidency statement of 15 January 1987 is, I think clarification of what it means to befriend the US Constitution: We encourage Latter-day Saints throughout the nation to familiarize themselves with the Constitution. They should focus attention on it by reading and studying it. They should ponder the blessings that come through it. They should recommit themselves to its principles and be prepared to defend it and the freedom it provides.
In the April 1966 General Priesthood Meeting, Marion G. Romney stated in his opening remarks: This is the first time I have ever attempted to give a talk a second time. My excuse is that the Brethren have asked me to give this talk here tonight In it, he said: [The Lord] has told us that in preparation for the restoration of the Gospel, He himself established the Constitution of the United States, and He has plainly told us why He established it....He said He established the Constitution to preserve to men their free agency, because the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ presupposes mans untrammeled exercise of free agency. Man is in the earth to be tested. The issues as to whether he succeeds or fails will be determined by how he uses his agency. His whole future, through all eternity, is at stake. Abridge mans agency, and the whole purpose of mortality is thwarted.
Having presented what I have, I want to make it clear that I am not advocating the teaching of the US Constitution or of its principles as such in our church meetings. The time is past when we can make and hear statements such as the above, and others even stronger, over the pulpits and in our church classes. Members will have to find other routes over which to become involved in preserving the US Constitution and its principles. This includes self-study and discussions within the confines of our own homes and communities.
Active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in general have many demands placed upon them, including providing for and spending quality time with their families, making time for personal and family prayers and Gospel study, engaging in missionary work, conducting family history research, attending the temple, going home and visiting teaching, and participating in other worthy activities. In spite of all these responsibilities, it appears we are also still under obligation to defend and promote the freedoms that make all these activities possible.
D&C 98 is a great section. In verse 16 it reads "Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace". This would be much easier to do if our government still followed the constitution in the process of declaring war by Congress, not through Gulf of Tonkin-like abdications of power. We have become a "war-like people" , as described by Spencer W Kimball in a 1976 article, "The False Gods We Worship". Excerpt follows:
"We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steelships, planes, missiles, fortificationsand depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satans counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Saviors teaching:
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:4445.)"
Another principle of the constitution that I enjoy is its built in flexibility. It's ammendment process is divine. It is also a little vague, in that not every single law has been spelled out, but rather tells us how to run the government.
Another principle of the constitution that I enjoy is its built in flexibility. It's ammendment process is divine. It is also a little vague, in that not every single law has been spelled out, but rather tells us how to run the government.
Excuse me while I back away from you... Even though you're a medical professional, I don't think you'll do me much good when the lightening strikes that certain of our forum members will be sending your way spread to those who are within arms length of you. (in other words... they're big on sticking to their definition of original intent)
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
A question on another thread asked, I think, in effect about deviations from the US Constitution. For openers, here are a few statements I've rounded up by Church General Autnorities.
In 1843 the Prophet Joseph Smith stated: "The different states, and even Congress itself have passed many laws dimetrically opposed to the Constitution of the United States.' (HC 5: 289)
About 40 years later John Taylor stated: "They have started long ago to rend the Constitution ofour county in pieces; and in doing so they are letting loose and encouraging a principle which will react upon themselves with terrible conseuences." (JD 26: 39)
And in the October General Conference J. Ruben Clark, a noted expert on the US Constitution, said: "You and I have heard all our lives that the time may come that the Constitution may hang by a thread. I do not know whether it is a thread, or a small rope, but I do know that whether it shall live or die is not in the balance."
In the October 1966 General Conference President David O. McKay said: "We all know that...there has been an alarming increase in the abandoning of the ideals that constitute the foundation of the Constitution of the United States and of the American home, and you will agreew ith me that there is a real cause for apprehension"
"Our great Constitution has been beaten and torn until now it hangs by a single thread, and that thread is our franchise to vote." (Ezra Taft Benson, 1976, Freeman Institute, Provo, Utah)
In 1986 a Prophet wrote: For the past two centuries those who do not prize freedom have chipped away at every major clause of our Constitution until today we face a crisis of great dimensions." (Ezra Taft Benson, "The Constitution - A Heavenly Banner")
Some of the more outstanding and obvious violations and distortions of the US Constitution include:
1.) The 1913 transfer of power over the money and credit system of the US from Congress to a consortium of private bankers called the Federal Reserve, which is neither federal not a reserve of any kind.
2.) The 1933 abandonment of the gold standard for American citizens.
3.) The 1933 unconstitutional mandate requiring all Americans to surrender their privately owned gold, other that jewelry.
4.) The 1964 abandonment of the silver standard for coins and Federal Reserve notes.
5.) Expenditure of billions of $s in foreign aid and welfare in various forms.
6.) Delegation of congressional authority to the President, including power to make war, make laws in the form of "executive statements" and "signing sstatements", make treaties like Yalta and the recent North American Union agreements.
7.) Unconstitutional welfare, including bailouts.
8.) Twisting of the meaning of laws by the Supreme Court to create an entirely new law.
The most obvious results of the above to me are devaluation of our US$ and no-win wars. I invite further contributions to this thread.
I hope these "original intenters" aren't opposed to Article V, which makes ammendments just as valid as the original document. Or is it my claim to intentional "vagueness" that they might object to? I'm simply saying that the constitution created the legislature and governs its proceedings to make the more mundane laws which are not in the constitution.
There has been and still is disagreement among LDS students of the US Constitution about which of the amendments are acceptable to Him who declared that He had established the Constitution of the United States thru wise men raised up unto this very purpose. I think it's a safe bet that the Lord disapproved of the amendment that abolished prohibition, and approved of the Prophet's asking American LDSs to support the proposed marriage amendment.
If anything is wrong with the Constitution is that the language is too broad or too general--too many windows left cracked open; deliberately or inadvertantly I don't know. But corrupt politicians and bad leaders have been able to shove bad laws and sneaky tactics on good-hearted, but unsuspecting, people (in some quarters referred to as "sheeple"). I'm convinced the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were fine for good, moral people, but insufficient for immoral, lazy people. Change the people, and you won't have to change the constitution. Now all we need is a major humbling experience.
If anything is wrong with the Constitution is that the language is too broad or too general--too many windows left cracked open; deliberately or inadvertantly I don't know.
Yeah, that'd be a problem with the whole concept of language. If we could discern hearts and minds like God, then there'd be no misconceptions... then we'd also lose our ability to choose and govern ourselves.
--Ray
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I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
I am still left wondering why we hear nothing from the current 15 Prophets, Seers and Revelators on the subject?
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
No doubts in the scripture. Just wondering why they don't talk about it more.
Perhaps they feel it best to let sleeping dogs lie.
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
I have always found verses 19 and 20 interesting...
19: Behold, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with many who are in the church at (insert the name of your town/city here...) Kirtland;
20: For they do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them.
The whole chapter needs to be taken in context though...
... worldwide church that will eventually have it's celestial headquarters in the middle of the good ol' USofA.
Without the constitution and it's freedom's this Church could not have grown and prospered as it has.
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
Spiritual leadership will be based out of Jerusalem. Government will be based out of the New Jerusalem in Missouri (not Utah, Washington DC, or California).
Is the elevation of Mizzou college football to #1 in the BCS poll a sign of the times as prophecied by Isaiah? They played that game in Arrowhead stadium, which is in Kansas City, of which Independence is a suburb.
Another principle of the constitution that I enjoy is its built in flexibility. It's ammendment process is divine. It is also a little vague, in that not every single law has been spelled out, but rather tells us how to run the government.
Excuse me while I back away from you... Even though you're a medical professional, I don't think you'll do me much good when the lightening strikes that certain of our forum members will be sending your way spread to those who are within arms length of you. (in other words... they're big on sticking to their definition of original intent)
To me in a nutshell, D&C 98 re-inforces ORIGINAL INTENT. Of course my idea of original intent is that as stated in section 98 Rights are from GOD and mans law that doesnt hold to that standard is of evil. THE ONLY PROPER ROLE and function of a constitutional government is to protect those rights given by the creator nothing more, nothing less.
The original intent of the constitution is clearly spelled out in the preamble, and it extends to more than just protecting the rights given by the creator.
We the People of the United States...(reasons below)... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 1. in Order to form a more perfect Union, [this can be applied to trade, roads, and communications, etc] 2. establish Justice, [this is not only law enforcement, but abolishment of slavery, equal rights, etc] 3. insure domestic Tranquility, 4. provide for the common defence, 5. promote the general Welfare, [this is the point that many use to justify many other functions of our current government] 6. and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
The original intent of the constitution is clearly spelled out in the preamble, and it extends to more than just protecting the rights given by the creator.
We the People of the United States...(reasons below)... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 1. in Order to form a more perfect Union, [this can be applied to trade, roads, and communications, etc] (where does that interpretation come from? Are you suggesting it is governments role to provide communication and transportation and commerce?) 2. establish Justice, [this is not only law enforcement, but abolishment of slavery, equal rights, etc] (This falls under protecting God given rights) 3. insure domestic Tranquility, (so does this) 4. provide for the common defence, (so does this) 5. promote the general Welfare, [this is the point that many use to justify many other functions of our current government] (so does this, I believe the intended meaning of general welfare differs from current use of the word) 6. and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, (this is only done with a representative government that protects individual rights) As two of the founders declared in similiar words...He who gives up freedom for a little security will end up with neither.
Organist, the quote you are looking for is one of my favorites:
They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~ Benjamin Franklin
He also said: Even peace may be purchased at too high a price. (B.F.)
Sometimes warfare is necessary to forward the cause of worldwide peace. During the years of WWI and WWII we had a clear mandate to protect those who were helpless against an aggresive regime hellbent on the destruction of essential liberties throughout the world.
Despots would have everyone who loves peace become 'pacifists'. Unarmed people are easier to control. Daddy told me that during WWII that the people in England and France who had willingly turned in their weapons for the price of peace sent letters to America BEGGING for us to send them something, anything with which they could defend themselves.
Not trying to be a reactionary. . . just thinking through some ideas about the price we might all be called upon to pay temporally and/or spiritually.
What is meant by "a clear mandate to protect those who were helpless against an aggresive regime hellbent on the destruction of essential liberties throughout the world.?" If a majority of Americans seem to want to stay out of a war among other countries as was the case before Pearl Harbor, what obligates Americans to jump into it?
What is meant by "a clear mandate to protect those who were helpless against an aggresive regime hellbent on the destruction of essential liberties throughout the world.?" If a majority of Americans seem to want to stay out of a war among other countries as was the case before Pearl Harbor, what obligates Americans to jump into it?
Hmmm... maybe D&C 82:1-4.
Pearl Harbor (and the other attacks that took place the same day on locations elsewhere) was not the first provocation by those that became our enemies either. We sat by, essentially, trying diplomacy (and isolationism) while providing arms and supplies to those resisting Imperial Japan, Nazi controlled Germany, and facist controlled Italy for the better part of a decade...
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
while most people are staunchly against entering armed conflict during ANY time in history, when the war threatens the people within your own nation are directly affected, it's a bit harder to turn a blind eye to what is happening 'somewhere else'.
There are plenty of good people within the nations that are currently under the violence and oppression of wars and insurrections worldwide. But often, those who do not want the wars are the very people who are powerless to prevent them. I know there is a great deal of discussion on this board and others regarding the 'rightness' of war at any time and under any circumstance. We will never all agree at any time on whether there are justifications for wars.
Those of us in the world who believe that freedom should be equally applied to all of God's children cannot sit by and just let the 'other people' be slaughtered, even if it is not politically popular.
Look at the Stripling Warriors! They fought for the defense of their Lamanite parents who had taken an oath not to shed blood and fought side by side with the Nephites to protect the innocent from the evil designs of those who would destroy all to advance a wicked cause.
(From a talk by Marion G. Romney The Price of Peace, Ensign, Oct 1983, 3)
I have chosen the subject the price of peace because of the worlds overwhelming concern for peaceand our clear failure to obtain it. Sadly, in our search for peace, we seem as Paul so aptly said, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:7.) We also seem as Isaiah said, in a dream of a night vision as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty. (Isa. 29:7.)
When I was in the military service during the First World War, we were told that we were making the world safe for democracy; we were fighting a war to end all wars. When my eldest son was in the military during the Second World War, he was told that he was preserving the cause of liberty and freedom. The same rationale has continued for the past several decades.
Why is it that our generation, with all its vaunted learning, has failed so miserably in its pursuit of peace? The only answer I can give you is that we are not willing to pay the price for it. My purpose here is to point out that price.
Peace has been variously defined, but perhaps we might think of it as harmony within ones self, and with God and man. This conception includes all elements in the dictionary definition.
The condition opposite to peace and harmony, say the lexicographers, is characterized by conflict, contention, disputation, strife, and war.
Let us consider these two descriptions of peace and its antithesis in light of scripture. Let me first note, however, that I lay my case upon the scriptures, believing, as I do, that they contain the revealed word of God and that God, knowing all things, has spoken ultimate truth. Now to the scripture:
The works of the flesh, says the Apostle Paul, include adultery, lasciviousness, idolatry, hatred, variance, wrath, strife, envyings, murders, drunkenness, and such like. (Gal. 5:1921.) Note how closely these works of the flesh resemble conflict, contention, disputations, strife, and warthe antithesis of peace and harmony.
But the fruit of the Spirit, continues Paul, is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, (Gal. 5:2223) the very elements of the peace we seek.
From these descriptions, is it not clear that what we have to do to get peace is obtain the fruit of the Spirit? Or to put it another way, since Lucifer is the father of contention (3 Ne. 11:29), the antithesis of peace, the price of peace is victory over Satan.
I know that there are some in the world who deny the existence of a personal satan. This denial is false, being sponsored by the father of lies himself, but there is nothing new about it. The anti-Christs, at his bidding, have denied the existence of Satan from ancient times. The fact is, however, that Lucifer is a personage of spirit, just the same as Jesus and you and I were personages of spirit before we were born. In the spirit world, he was a personage of great ability. Isaiah refers to him as a son of the morning. O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, he laments. (Isa. 14:12.)
Yet Lucifer rejected the Fathers plan for the salvation of the human race and sought to substitute his own plan. Not prevailing, he, with one third of the hosts of heaven, was cast down, and became Satan the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, that is, those who will not hearken unto my voice. (Moses 4:34.)
One of Satans dupes, by the name of Korihor, having been stricken dumb because he repeatedly denied the existence of God, put forth his hand and wrote, I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God.
But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success; insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me. (Alma 30:5253.)
You see, Korihor knew, right while he was denying their existence, that there was a Satan and that there was a God. [if the leaders of the nations who are trying to overthrow the principles of the true gospel and of freedom deny the existence of either and prevent their people THROUGH FORCE from finding the truth for themselves, then do we not have an obligation to HELP THEM? - - 'Bama]
Many of Korihors modern counterparts fulfill the prediction of Nephi, who, speaking of our times, said:
At that day shall he [the devil] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is welland thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is noneand thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. (2 Ne. 28:2022.) [ I wonder if we are complacent sometimes because we DO live in a nation that is FREE? How much might we want help from our brothers and sisters who are free if we were in bondage? - - 'Bama]
Now, we may rest assured of this: if there is no devil, there is no God. But there is a God and there is a devil, and the bringing of peace requires the elimination of Satans influence.Where he is, peace can never be. Further, peaceful coexistence with him is impossible. He cannot be brought to cooperate in the maintenance of peace and harmony. He promotes nothing but the works of the flesh.
Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. (Moro. 7:17.)
As a prelude to peace, then, the influence of Satan must be completely subjugated. Even in heaven there could be no peace with him after his rebellion. There, in the world of spirits, the Father and the Son could find no ground upon which they could cooperate with him. He had to be cast outnot compromised with, but cast out.
No man, said Jesus, can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:24.)
Earth life is a period of trial for every person of two mighty forces pulling in opposite directions. On the one hand is the power of Christ and His righteousness. On the other hand is Satan and his fellow travelers. Mankind, in the exercise of their God-given moral agency, must determine to travel in company with the one or the other. The reward for following the one is the fruit of the Spiritpeace. The reward for following the other is the works of the fleshthe antithesis of peace.
For six thousand years the campaign for the souls of men has been waged by Satan with unabated fury. The widespread debauchery, idolatry, contention, bloodshed, suffering, and sorrow under which the inhabitants of the earth have groaned through the centuries testify to the fact that Satan has always wielded a potent influence.
But while, as a general rule, the works of the flesh have flourished, there have been at least two periods of peaceand there will be another yet to come.
The Nephites, following the ministry of Jesus among them, abolished the works of the flesh and obtained the fruit of the Spirit. This is the way they did it: The disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ and as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost. And in the thirty sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord. Consequently, there were no contentions and disputations among them because of the love of God which did dwell in (their) hearts. There were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; (but) they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of God and every man did deal justly one with another. And surely, says the record, there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. (See 4 Ne. 1:12, 1517.)
[if the peoples of the world are subjected to evil regimes, the gospel CANNOT be spread and they have NO CHOICE of whether to come unto Christ. The people are kept from the LIGHT by the darkness of the great deceiver! While I am not saying war is a solution to or the only solution to spreading the gospel, there is evidence that the gospel can go into lands where freedom has been established in any measure - - 'Bama]
This condition prevailed among them for almost two centuries. Then deserting the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Nephites turned to the works of the flesh, and there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, and they began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ. There were also among them some churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel,a perfect prototype of our times. Now, these churches did multiply exceedingly because of iniquity, and because of the power of Satan who did get hold upon their hearts. (4 Ne. 1:2428.) Thus yielding to Satan, this Nephite people, which through strict obedience to the gospel of Christ had enjoyed perfect peace for nearly two centuries, was, within another two centuries, utterly destroyed as a nation in a civil war.
Another people who achieved peace were the people of Enoch who lived before the flood. They came to peace in the same manner as did the Nephites, and they enjoyed the same felicity. But they did not thereafter yield to Satan and return to the works of the flesh, as did the Nephites. On the contrary, they continued in their righteousness and the Lord came and dwelt with them and he called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness. And they built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion, which in the process of time, was taken up into heaven, where it now is. (Moses 7:1621.)
Of all the descendants of Adam and Eve, these people of Enoch are the only ones, so far as I am informed, who have obtained lasting perfect peace.
As it was with the Nephites and the people of Enoch, so it has always been and always will be; for banishing Satan by living the gospel of Jesus Christ is the price ofand the only way topeace. God, in His infinite solicitude for the welfare of His children, charted for them this way to peace in the beginning of the world, and He has re-charted it in every dispensation since. He has just as consistently sounded warnings of disasters which follow abandonment of that course. If a single person, yielding to Satan, is filled with the works of the flesh, he wars within himself. If two yield, they each war within themselves and fight with each other. If many people yield, a society flourishes with the harvest of great stress and contention. If the rulers of a country yield, there is world-wide contention, for as the prophet Isaiah says, the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. (Isa. 57:2021.)
As the works of the flesh have universal application, so likewise does the gospel of peace. If one man lives it, he has peace within himself. If two men live it, they each have peace within themselves and with each other. If the citizens live it, the nation has domestic peace. When there are enough nations enjoying the fruit of the Spirit to control world affairs, then, and only then, will the war-drums throb no longer, and the battle flags be furld in the Parliament of Man, the Federation of the World. (See Alfred Lord Tennyson, Locksley Hall. The Complete Poetical Works of Tennyson, ed. W. J. Rolfe, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1898, p. 93, lines 2728.)
Now there are individuals who try to serve the Lord without offending the devil. They raise in the minds of many truth seekers the vexing question, is there not some middle ground upon which peace may be secured and maintained? Must the choice lie irrevocably between peace on the one hand, obtained by compliance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and contention and war on the other hand?
In answer to this question, I feel safe in saying that if there is a middle ground it is as yet undiscovered; and that, too, notwithstanding the fact that the search for it has been long and tortuous. Ignorant of, or ignoring, and without any thought of paying the price of peace, men have tried many approaches. There was St. Pierres project in 1713; Benthams plan, 1780; Kants project, 1795; there were the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907; and the League of Nations following World War I, to name but a few. There have been pacts, treaties and alliances, ad infinitum, all without success.
Sometimes we put great well-meaning hopeeven desperate hopein the works and wisdom of man. I remember that just before the First World War broke out in August 1914 Dr. David Starr Jordan, then honorary chancellor of Stanford University, and an eminent advocate of peace, stated that the conditions of the world made any great war between the nations impossible, that there never could be and, therefore, never would be another great international war, that the world had passed beyond that stage of savagery.
Said Elder James E. Talmage who heard him speak, He showed that the business interests were so closely knit that if a nation should be so rash as to declare war upon another, the bankers would veto the declaration because they had too much at stake; and that if the voice of the bankers was not heeded then the people would rise up and say, There shall be no war. Then by another splendid array of facts he showed the prospective cost of warfare in this day and proved to his own satisfaction that there was not wealth enough in the world to keep up a big war for more than a very few months. When he had closed his address, [Elder Talmage said] to him: I wish I could believe you, doctor. You do not believe me? I do not. And why? Because you have left out some of the most important factors of your problem. And what are they? The words of the prophets; and in a matter that concerns the existence of nations I shall consider the words of the prophets in preference to the deductions of the academician, even though he be as distinguished as yourself, sir. (James E. Talmage, Liahona, vol. 5, pp. 67779.)
The fact that within the thirty years following Dr. Jordans prediction the world passed through two World Wars and has since had three decades of wars and rumors of wars brings to mind the words of the Lord through the mouth of Isaiah: The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. (Isa. 29:14.)
If we would have peace, brothers and sisters, we must make up our minds to pay the price of peace. Such is the word of God, and such is the verdict of six thousand years of human history.
Now, while I feel that the many people of the earth today are so infected with the works of the flesh that they do not recognize them as such, and, therefore, many people are not possessed of the moral courage to pay the price of peace, still we should not, Jonah-like, sulk under a vine if some of them should turn to apply the principles of the Prince of Peace and find its joyful rewards. On the contrary, we should rejoice, for to proclaim peace is the sole purpose of our lifes mission. We should find no pleasure in the fact that mens strivings for peace have proved ineffectual. I wage no war against their efforts. Many of them are doing the best they can in the light they have. Nevertheless, I can see no justification for us, who have the clear light of the revealed gospel of Christ, to spend our lives stumbling around through the mists following the uncertain glimmer of a flickering candle lighted by the wisdom of men. Rather, we should devote our energies to spreading the true light, and leave the mists to those who do not see that light.
Yet, even as we try to teach the gospel of peace, we see that most people would prefer to focus on other aspects of the problem. Even so, we should not live a life of despair and gloom. We should enjoy life in the light of revealed truth. Keep ourselves advised as to what the Lord has said about the price of peace.
I am grateful that the days of my probation have come in this dispensation, in which the light of revealed truth shines in all its effulgent glory. I know of no other time in which I would have preferred to live. If in the providence of God, holocausts come, the earth will not disintegrate or be rendered uninhabitable, neither will all the peoples of the earth be destroyed. It will be part of the prophets road to the dawn of a glorious millennium of perfect peace. For this I knowand of it you may likewise be assuredin the end, righteousness will triumph; the powers of darkness will be put to flight; peace will come.
Let us as a people vow to apply in our individual lives, in our homes, in our businesses, in all our relationships with others and each other the principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The fruit of its spirit brings and establishes peace. And each of us may have peace in ourselves if we are willing to pay the price.
[I can't rest comfortably in my bed at night when we are at war. I wish it were not so. But, I get to rest safely and comfortably in my bed in a free land. I enjoy the gospel and the blessings it brings to me and my family. And - I realize that we have obligations to do more than just PRAY for our brothers and sisters who struggle and stravage along in the darkness. And that requires a price, which is sometimes paid in blood, in order that the opportunity to accept OR REJECT the truth is given to our brothers and sisters in the world. - - 'Bama]
God has said, renounce war and proclaim peace (D&C 98), thus I don't see American led wars are ever required to spread the gospel. It may happen that way, but definately not part of God's preferred plan.
On the other hand, in D&C 101 the Lord states, "...I established the Constitution of this land...and redeemd the land by the shedding of blood." My understanding is that the reference is to the revolutionary war in particular and other wars that have preserved our liberty in general (inlcuding those documented in the Book of Mormon.)
We refer to our Lord as the Prince of Peace. We also refer to Him as our Captain, leading the War against Satan (in the premortal life, in mortality, and in the millenium.) I don't think these two aspects are mutually exclusive. War has been and can be fought based upon righteous principles. My own opinion is that almost all involved in war over the past few generations have abandoned those principles.
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The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. - Julie Beck
Even though you're a medical professional, I don't think you'll do me much good when the lightening strikes that certain of our forum members will be sending your way spread to those who are within arms length of you. 
