Obedience

To obey is better than sacrifice... (1 Samuel 15:22)

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?  (Luke 6:46)

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10) 

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10)

When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21)

If my obedience to God is an expression of love, what does that say about my disobedience?

We may rationalize our disobedience, but we cannot escape the consequences.

Consequences of immorality

It is contrary to the order of heaven for any soul to be locked into compulsive, immoral behavior with no way out!

It is consistent with the workings of the adversary to deceive you into believing that you are.  (Boyd K. Packer, 1986 General Conference address)

Along our way we are aided in our choices through the sustaining influence of the Spirit. Now, if we choose to act contrary to the light and understanding that we have, we will experience a bad conscience, which of course does not feel good. But a bad conscience is a blessing in that we immediately are reminded that it is time to repent. When we are humble and desire to do what is right, we will be anxious to act promptly to change our ways, while those who are proud and who may seek “to become a law unto [themselves]” (D&C 88:35) will allow Satan to lead “them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever” (2 Nephi 26:22) unless the spirit of repentance enters their hearts. To follow evil influences can never result in a feeling of peace simply because peace is a gift from God and it only comes through the Spirit of God. “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).  (Per G. Malm, 2010 General Conference address)

We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (see Alma 48:10).  (Gordon B. Hinckley,  2001 General Conference address)


And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  (Joshua 24:15)


O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.  (2 Nephi 1:13)

Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.

O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

 Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days.

But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.  (Helaman 13:32-38)

 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

Obedience

Some have the mistaken idea that the commandments of God constrict freedom and personal growth.  Not so.  God gives commandments for our benefit. They are loving instructions for our happiness and for our physical and spiritual well-being.

Jesus counselled his disciples to be obedient:

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?  (Luke 6:46)

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)

Joseph Smith taught about obedience:

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21)

In a recent conference address, President Monson taught:

A knowledge of truth and the answers to our greatest questions come to us as we are obedient to the commandments of God. (President Thomas S. Monson, Obedience Brings Blessings)

President Uchtdorf counsels to be aware of the beautiful blessings that blossom and grow out of obedience:

Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us.

The “what” and “how” of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path. The “why” of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration. (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Forget Me Not)

This illustration of the cycle of obedience models the result of observing the commandments of God.   Obedience brings blessings to us, which makes us happier and motivates further obedience.

Despite the popular confusion of this idea, there has never been the slightest ambiguity.  Obedience is always positive.  God has never commanded us to disobey any of his commandments.

Cecil B. DeMille, producer of the epic The Ten Commandments, dramatizing the life of Moses the Lawgiver, spoke at a BYU commencement in 1957.  He made these observations:

We are too inclined to think of law as something merely restrictive—something hemming us in.  We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty.  But that is a false conception. That is not the way that God’s inspired prophets and lawgivers looked upon the law. Law has a twofold purpose.  It is meant to govern and it is also meant to educate...

 ...We cannot break the Ten Commandments.  We can only break ourselves against them—or else, by keeping them, rise through them to the fullness of freedom under God.  God means us to be free. With divine daring, He gave us the power of choice.  (Cecil B. DeMille, BYU Commencement Address)

Jesus taught his disciples, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."(John 14:15)

During the Last Supper, Jesus Christ taught His disciples how they could show their love for Him.

We manifest our love for the Lord by keeping His commandments.

Was it LDS Liberty that justified Plural Marriage?

 

More nonsense from LDS Liberty.  They recommend replacing the US Pledge of Allegiance with some pseudo-Religious propaganda instead.  The suggested "covenant" smacks of something that shouldn't be here at all.  I am ashamed to realize that such a poorly-considered idea comes from someone that I early on attempted to inculcate with the principles embodied in the Scout Oath.  I was apparently a poor teacher.  

 

I Pledge Allegiance to the Title of Liberty

Posted on June 29, 2012 by JC Bollers

We invite all who have entered the path toward eternal life to affirm their faithfulness to the covenant of liberty upon this land by pledging allegiance to the Title of Liberty that the blessings of liberty may rest upon our nation. We know that as we make only God our king take upon ourselves the name of Christ in all things both public and private and live his commandments in faith, that he will protect us, prosper us and number us among his covenant people. We proclaim that the understanding and performance of the very substance of this Title of Liberty will save this nation.
The following is an example of a covenant that we can make to affirm our allegiance to this standard:
“I covenant to sustain and establish the Title of Liberty and that I will not forsake God or be ashamed to take upon myself the name of Christ. And if I fall into transgression may the Lord rend me as I rend my garment.

 Then Connor goes on to explain why the Pledge is socialist propaganda, and he refuses to participate at all.

 Connor Boyack: Why I Do Not Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

Again this raises problems with the 12th Article of Faith and is inconsistent with established Church policy.

  We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

Reference to the 12th Article of Faith always brings up a specious question about Plural marriage, and the guys at LDS Liberty never miss that opportunity.

• negates the 12th Article of Faith

  January 15 at 10:53pm
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  Shiloh Logan The 8th Article of Faith actually vindicates and validates the 12th Article of Faith -- if you are honest and consistent to the message.

  January 16 at 11:05am · 1
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  Charity Angel Do you know who is in this picture? Just curious because I know one of my ancestors was arrested and imprisoned for awhile for polygamy.

  January 16 at 11:23am · 1
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  Spencer W. Morgan One of mine was too, in Idaho. I'll do some digging and see what I can find.

  January 16 at 9:51pm via mobile
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  Spencer W. Morgan I found a few of the names:
  
  The photo caption reads:
  
  "Polygamists in striped prison uniforms, including George Q. Cannon (center with cane), William Gimbert Saunders (second from right), and William Morley Black (right of Cannon with white beard). These men were also known as "Prisoners of Conscience."

  
  
  Just for the record, the 8th Article of Faith is in no way related to political ideology:

   We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

  
  Evidently, they derive something from the scripture that somehow justifies unlawful acts, as long as they feel good about it, or something like that.
  

  BTW, it is Wilford Woodruff that is featured in the center.

   It just so happens that I have a my own "Prisoner of Conscience" photo that features my own ancestor, Peter Barton, seated, in the center of the photo.  He served in the Utah State Senate for a term, and was the bishop of the Kaysville Ward for many years.  I don't think he is a particularly good poster child for the cause of rebellion.  He was the first polygamist to be pardoned by the Governor of Utah, for good behavior.  What is seldom considered is that the Lord instructed the church about the practice, when they were supposed to observe it, and when is was to cease.  The "Prisoners of Conscience" were all about obedience, not rebellion.  Too many overlook this point.

When it is the will of the Lord for church members to disobey the law of the land, the Lord will make it known through the Prophet, and none other.  This is not a principle of individualism, the noble one standing against Government oppression and tyranny.  It is the principle of obedience and sacrifice, of sacred covenants with God.  And to construe it as an example of rebellion and non-conformity for appearances is nothing more than mockery, of those faithful ones, and the Lord's laws.