Reiterating: Abortion is Murder

Today laws building understanding of the sacred nature of ALL human life have been reinstated.  I expect many more similar developments to be forthcoming in the near future.  This is not based on partisan politics.  

In this era of shrill political sound-bites, there is one clear unequivocal standard that stands out, for those who profess to be faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Lord commanded, “Thou shalt not … kill, nor do anything like unto it” (D&C 59:6). The Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience. Members must not submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage an abortion...

Church members who submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage an abortion may be subject to Church discipline. (Handbook 2)

I cannot in clear conscience support or promote any political candidate, group, party, or individual who embraces anything but a "pro-life" policy.  This is one of those issues where the weight of moral considerations far transcend any political policy.  Those who choose to tolerate abortion have all kinds of philosophical arguments and rationale that twist this ideal, but can't make this unequivocal statement disappear.  They may wish to ignore this in the interest of catering to popular ideas, but ultimately cannot.  Those who willfully violate this principle do so at their own peril.  Those who choose to ignore this principle in the current Presidential campaign are consenting to condemn entire generations to a bloody and horrifying death.

Abortion is murder.  This principle stands.

Light the World

Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place. All we have to do is follow Him—His life, His example, and His teachings. In doing so, we can help #LIGHTtheWORLD.

Criticism...

The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one sided, but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion and criticism is worth defending.  (James E. Talmage)

Dallin Oaks "Criticism".  I posted a link to this on the Bloggernacle.  Everyone criticized it.

Speaking of Les Deplorables

Though my impression is that the Liberal-minded (TM) are supposed to be pretending that actual gender is now totally irrelevant, one of the wildly popular gripe sessions currently running on the Bloggernacle purports to complain about BYU and their abysmally disproportionate and execrable "balance" of male/female professors.  It occurred to me that at least optimally, the survey should be listing the more imaginative "gender identity", rather than actual genotypical and phenotypical sex, since that kind of thing is so passe, but apparently data of more contemporary oeuvre was not in hand.

Of course, the moderators of that forum, in a shining example of the virtue of tolerance for diversity, peremptorily banned my obstreperous crude comments years ago, so I expect my observations went unheeded. Without exception, other comments seemed to be participating in the popular hate-fest of condemnations and disaffected gripes for BYU, Provo, Utah, and the Church in general.

Helpful suggestion for those who hate a particular place:  Why not go somewhere else to seek happiness?  There ARE actually several people who do love being here.  Are you so anxious to tear things down?

BTW:   While attending University of California for my Bachelor's Degree, I never encountered any female professors.  I had no idea that it made such difference in the quality of my education.  Never realized how much I was deprived.  As I can recall, I did have at least one female professor at Ricks College when I attended there, so it would appear that Church schools are 100% better than University of California.

PS:  Article appearing in the Salt Lake Tribune follows the Bloggernacle article.  In typical SLTrib fashion, the comments following are mostly either hilarious or quite unintelligible.

April 2016 General Conference: Elder Dale G. Renlund, "That I Might Draw Men Unto Me"

Elder Renlund taught that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the ultimate Givers.

Because of their proximity to the givers, recipients who receive help according to this pattern are grateful and less likely to feel entitled.

The concept—“the greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement”—also has profound spiritual applications. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the ultimate Givers. The more we distance ourselves from Them, the more entitled we feel. We begin to think that we deserve grace and are owed blessings. We are more prone to look around, identify inequities, and feel aggrieved—even offended—by the unfairness we perceive. While the unfairness can range from trivial to gut-wrenching, when we are distant from God, even small inequities loom large. We feel that God has an obligation to fix things—and fix them right now!

The closer we are to Jesus Christ in the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the more we appreciate His innocent suffering, the more grateful we are for grace and forgiveness, and the more we want to repent and become like Him. Our absolute distance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is important, but the direction we are heading is even more crucial. God is more pleased with repentant sinners who are trying to draw closer to Him than with self-righteous, faultfinding individuals who, like the Pharisees and scribes of old, do not realize how badly they need to repent

Reiterating: Get Informed, Get Involved

After finding this counsel in article from the February Ensign magazine, I feel somewhat vindicated in my new avocation in madness.

I am aspiring to get involved in political activism.  Even though I passionately hate to be involved in public affairs.  I am a very private person by nature.  It goes against my natural inclination to force myself into public performances.  I have always preferred to sit in the back.  I gravitate toward the back of the chapel, the back seat of the bus, and the less-noticed bystander on the edges of the crowd.  I long for the freedom of isolation that comes with wilderness places, shunned by the thundering herd.

The Ensign article explores the idea,

IN TODAY’S WORLD, LATTER-DAY SAINTS NEED TO BECOME WELL INFORMED SO THEY CAN SPEAK UP AND ENGAGE INTELLIGENTLY IN CAUSES THAT CONCERN THEM.

I do not have any particular talents that distinguish me, other than plenty of time on my hands.

So far, only a few people have honestly questioned my sanity, and nobody has questioned my sincerity.

The article asserts,

The exaltation and happiness of any community goes hand in hand with the knowledge possessed by the people.  (Joseph Smith)

The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one sided, but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion and criticism is worth defending.  (As quoted by James E. Talmage)

As we educate ourselves on issues and decide a position to take, it’s important to seek the Lord’s will. Once we have studied an issue thoroughly—including the scriptures and the words of our leaders—we can then pray about our decision with confidence that the Lord will guide us. The Savior told Oliver Cowdery, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right” (D&C 9:8).

There is nothing new or startling about such principles.  Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, was concerned that the people must be educated to qualify them for the responsibilities of self-government.

I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves: and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is, not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.  This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.  (Thomas Jefferson)

And one of the best-known quotes from Joseph Smith, in answer to a question about how he managed the government of such a large body.

I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.  (Joseph Smith)

I have discovered a mission to be all about helping to learn and teach and advocate for correct principles of self-government.

And finally in our efforts, we should always keep in mind,

Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.  (2 Kings 6:16)

Fiji Suva Mission

The Fiji Islands are comprised of more than 300 islands and more than 500 islets in the South Pacific, about 1100 miles northeast of New Zealand.  The islands were generally formed by volcanic activity during an earlier geologic era.  None of the volcanoes is currently active.

The combined population of the Fiji Islands is about 850 thousand.

The principal islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.  The capitol city of Fiji is Suva.

Address of the Fiji Suva Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Fiji Suva Mission

GPO Box 215 (16 Berry Road)

Suva, Fiji

The language of this mission is Fijian.  Fijian (Na Vosa Vakaviti) is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is more than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language. The 1997 Constitution established Fijian as an official language of Fiji, along with English and Hindustani, and there is discussion about establishing it as the "national language", though English and Hindustani would remain official. Fijian is a VOS language.  In linguistic typology, a verb–object–subject language is one in which the most-typical sentences arrange their elements in that order: "Ate oranges Sam."

Suva Fiji Temple

Get Informed, Get Involved

After finding this counsel in article from the February Ensign magazine, I feel somewhat vindicated in my new avocation in madness.

I am aspiring to get involved in political activism.  Even though I passionately hate to be involved in public affairs.  I am a very private person by nature.  It goes against my natural inclination to force myself into public performances.  I have always preferred to sit in the back.  I gravitate toward the back of the chapel, the back seat of the bus, and the less-noticed bystander on the edges of the crowd.  I long for the freedom of isolation that comes with wilderness places, shunned by the thundering herd.

The Ensign article explores the idea,

In today’s world, Latter-day Saints need to become well informed so they can speak up and engage intelligently in causes that concern them.

I do not have any particular talents that distinguish me, other than plenty of time on my hands. 

So far, only a few people have honestly questioned my sanity, and nobody has questioned my sincerity.

The article asserts,

The exaltation and happiness of any community goes hand in hand with the knowledge possessed by the people.  (Joseph Smith)

The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one sided, but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion and criticism is worth defending.  (As quoted by James E. Talmage)

As we educate ourselves on issues and decide a position to take, it’s important to seek the Lord’s will. Once we have studied an issue thoroughly—including the scriptures and the words of our leaders—we can then pray about our decision with confidence that the Lord will guide us. The Savior told Oliver Cowdery, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right” (D&C 9:8).

There is nothing new or startling about such principles.  Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, was concerned that the people must be educated to qualify them for the responsibilities of self-government.

I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves: and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is, not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.  This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.  (Thomas Jefferson)

And one of the best-known quotes from Joseph Smith, in answer to a question about how he managed the government of such a large body.

I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.  (Joseph Smith)

I have discovered a mission to be all about helping to learn and teach and advocate for correct principles of self-government.

And finally in our efforts, we should always keep in mind,

Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.  (2 Kings 6:16)