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Instruments of the Lord’s Peace-Robert S. Wood of the Seventy, April 2006 Conference.

Have we who have taken upon us the name of Christ slipped unknowingly into patterns of slander, evil speaking, and bitter stereotyping?

I have a friend who is a member of a political panel that is seen each week on national television. Explaining her role, she said, “We are encouraged to speak before thinking!” We appear to be living in an era in which many are speaking without thinking, encouraging emotional reactions rather than thoughtful responses. Whether it be on the national or international stage, in personal relations or in politics, at home or in the public forum, voices grow ever more strident, and giving and taking offense appear to be chosen rather than inadvertent.

The Lord has warned that from the beginning and throughout history, Satan would stir up people’s hearts to anger. ¹ In the Book of Mormon, Laman set a pattern of so murmuring as to stir anger, to stoke rage, and to incite murder. ² Time and again in the Book of Mormon, we find deluded and wicked men inciting rage and provoking conflict. In the days of Captain Moroni, the apostate Amalickiah inspired “the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi.” ³ Amulon and the wicked priests of Noah; Nehor; Korihor; and Zoram the apostate (the dishonor roll goes on throughout the Book of Mormon) were agitators who inspired distrust, fueled controversy, and deepened hatreds.

In speaking to Enoch, the Lord indicated that both the time of His birth and the time preceding His Second Coming would be “days of wickedness and vengeance.” ⁴ And the Lord has said that in the last days, wrath shall be poured out upon the earth without mixture. ⁵ Wrath is defined both as the righteous indignation of God and as the very human instances of impetuous ardor and deep or violent anger. The former arises from the concern of a loving Father whose children are often “without affection, and they hate their own blood,” ⁶ whereas the latter wrath arises from a people “without order and without mercy, … strong in their perversion.” ⁷ I fear the earth is experiencing both wraths, and I suspect the divine wrath is very much provoked by those who are stirring up the hearts of men to wickedness, slander, and violent hatreds.

The first casualties of human wrath are truth and understanding. James counseled that we be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” ⁸ As Enoch observed, God’s throne is one of peace, justice, and truth. ⁹ Whether they be false friends or unrighteous teachers, artists or entertainers, commentators or letter writers to local newspapers, seekers of power or wealth, beware of those who stir us up to such anger that calm reflection and charitable feelings are suppressed.

Alma at the waters of Mormon invited those who would enter into a covenant relationship with God to stand as witnesses of God and to bear one another’s burdens. ¹⁰ As those who have indeed entered into a sacred covenant, we must remain true to the way, the truth, and the life, who is Jesus Christ.

Have we who have taken upon us the name of Christ slipped unknowingly into patterns of slander, evil speaking, and bitter stereotyping? Have personal or partisan or business or religious differences been translated into a kind of demonizing of those of different views? Do we pause to understand the seemingly different positions of others and seek, where possible, common ground?

I recall that as a graduate student I wrote a critique of an important political philosopher. It was clear that I disagreed with him. My professor told me that my paper was good, but not good enough. Before you launch into your criticism, she said, you must first present the strongest case for the position you are opposing, one that the philosopher himself could accept. I redid the paper. I still had important differences with the philosopher, but I understood him better, and I saw the strengths and virtues, as well as limitations, of his belief. I learned a lesson that I’ve applied across the spectrum of my life.

General Andrew Jackson, as he walked along the line at the Battle of New Orleans, said to his men, “Gentlemen, elevate your guns a little lower!” I think many of us need to elevate our “guns” a little lower. On the other hand, we need to raise the level of private and public discourse. We should avoid caricaturing the positions of others, constructing “straw men,” if you will, and casting unwarranted aspersions on their motivations and character. We need, as the Lord counseled, to uphold honest, wise, and good men and women wherever they are found and to recognize that there are “among all sects, parties, and denominations” those who are “kept from the truth [of the gospel] because they know not where to find it.” ¹¹ Would we hide that light because we have entered into the culture of slander, of stereotyping, of giving and seeking offense?

It is far too easy sometimes to fall into a spirit of mockery and cynicism in dealing with those of contrary views. We demoralize or demean so as to bring others or their ideas in contempt. It is a primary tool of those who occupy the large and spacious building that Father Lehi saw in vision. ¹² Jude, the brother of Christ, warned that “there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” ¹³

Closely related to mockery is a spirit of cynicism. Cynics are disposed to find and to catch at fault. Implicitly or explicitly, they display a sneering disbelief in sincerity and rectitude. Isaiah spoke of those who “watch for iniquity” and “make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.” ¹⁴ In this regard, the Lord has counseled in latter days that we “cease to find fault one with another” and “above all things, clothe [ourselves] with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.” ¹⁵

President George Albert Smith observed, “There is nothing in the world more deleterious or harmful to the human family than hatred, prejudice, suspicion, and the attitude that some people have toward their fellows, of unkindness.” ¹⁶ In matters of politics, he warned, “Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground.” ¹⁷ Speaking of the great mission of the latter-day kingdom, he counseled: “This is not a militant church to which we belong. This is a church that holds out peace to the world. It is not our duty to go into the world and find fault with others, neither to criticize men because they do not understand. But it is our privilege, in kindness and love, to go among them and divide with them the truth that the Lord has revealed in this latter day.” ¹⁸

The Lord has constituted us as a people for a special mission. As He told Enoch in ancient times, the day in which we live would be one of darkness, but it would also be a time when righteousness would come down from heaven, and truth would be sent forth out of the earth to bear, once more, testimony of Christ and His atoning mission. As with a flood, that message would sweep the world, and the Lord’s elect would be gathered out from the four quarters of the earth. ¹⁹ Wherever we live in the world, we have been molded as a people to be the instruments of the Lord’s peace. In the words of Peter, we have been claimed by God for His own, to proclaim the triumph of Him “who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God.” ²⁰ We cannot afford to be caught up in a world prone to give and to take offense. Rather, as the Lord revealed to both Paul and Mormon, we must neither envy nor be puffed up in pride. We are not easily provoked, nor do we behave unseemly. We rejoice not in iniquity but in the truth. Surely this is the pure love of Christ which we represent. ²¹

In a world beset by wrath, the prophet of our day, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has counseled: “Now, there is much that we can and must do in these perilous times. We can give our opinions on the merit of the situation as we see it, but never let us become a party to words or works of evil concerning our brothers and sisters in various nations on one side or the other. Political differences never justify hatred or ill will. I hope that the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties.” ²²

As true witnesses of Christ in the latter days, let us not fall into the darkness so that, in the words of Peter, we “cannot see afar off,” but let us be fruitful in the testimony of Christ and His restored gospel, in thought, in speech, in deed. ²³ God lives. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Joseph Smith, the great prophet of the Restoration, was the instrument by which we have been constituted as a people, led even today by a prophet of God, President Gordon B. Hinckley. Let us daily renew in our hearts the pure love of Christ and overcome with our Master the darkness of the world.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Hide References

1. 1. See 2 Ne. 28:20; D&C 10:24.
2. 2. See 1 Ne. 16:37–38.
3. 3.  Alma 48:1.
4. 4.  Moses 7:46, 60.
5. 5. See D&C 115:6.
6. 6.  Moses 7:33.
7. 7.  Moro. 9:18–19.
8. 8.  James 1:19–20.

Some today feel that we are headed to another Revolution of America. What is interesting to note is that many sides want a revolution for many different reasons. In most cases they have completely opposite goals. How does overthrowing a government work if all those that are participating have no cohesive goal in mind but actually have opposite goals? It cannot work.

I hear people crying for the overthrow of our corrupt government so that we can restore the Constitution. Others cry for the overthrow of our corrupt government so we can be rid of the Constitution. These two sides will both fight to overthrow the government but to what end? They are incompatible goals.
LDS have been told to be protectors of the Constitution so they feel they need to stand up for it when it is hanging by a thread. This is a righteous desire, but one that can be used against us if we are not careful and wise in our thought processes and actions.

We are warned that in the Last-days hate will be everywhere. People shall betray each other. Brother shall turn against brother. The father shall be against his son. The children shall be against their parents. No one will be able to be trusted. Relatives shall be against each other. Friends shall turn against friends. It is starting to be easy to see how this can come about. If we allow ourselves to be stirred up against one another to the point of bloodshed, we have fallen for the trap of the Adversary, which we have been warned would befall mankind.

If we shed blood in a violent revolution thinking we are protecting the Constitution prior to the complete loss of all of our liberties, there will be no Constitution left at the end of this revolution to save. We will only be falling for the trap that is being set to destroy the Constitution. Many people in America today that say they want a revolution are not wanting to restore the Constitution but rather to destroy it and the powers that be will take advantage of lawlessness to do just that. If we fight in the battle to overthrow the powers that be it is only playing into their hands, for they are the ones orchestrating this desire for revolution against them. They want us to rebel so they can crush us and take away what few liberties we have left and remove the Constitution completely.

Since we are told that Zion will be a place of refuge from the world I do not see us as Latter-day Saints shedding blood to save the Constitution when it is hanging by a thread. That makes us just as evil as the Gadiantions.

D&C 45:68
And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety

How can we be a place of safety if we are among those that are shedding blood in the midst of a revolution?

“I say to you with all the soberness I can, that we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this church will, in order to keep the church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known, heavy as our sacrifices and grievous as our persecutions have been.” (J. Reuben Clark, Conference Report, April 1944, pp. 115-116; quoted in Newquist, op. cit., p. 89.)

What he is saying here is that it will take blood to restore liberty once liberty is completely lost, not when it still exists. It still exists! We still have most of our liberties, maybe not exactly as we desire, but we still have them. He is saying that the only thing that could “resurrect” the Constitution once it has perished is the sacrifice of OUR blood. It is not a call to war, it is a statement of how the Constitution would be gained again once it was lost, in a way similar to how it was gained in the first place. It is not an explanation about how to save the Constitution while it still stands, but a statement of what it will cost if it is lost. So we must look at this: that Saving the Constitution when it is hanging by a thread is done by lawful means and not by violence and bloodshed. It is only once it is completely taken away that there is any talk of it’s restoration by bloodshed.

If we are participating in a violent revolution without the Prophet’s directive, we are not fighting for the Lord. We are told to stand up for the Constitution at this time but never once have we been told to shed blood to do so. At this time we are told to be spreading the Gospel and calling people to repentance and standing up for the Constitution. It is only the corrective measure of turning men back to God that can restore the Constitution.

The powers that be want us to war against them alongside all of the others that want to get rid of the Constitution. If we fall for this mindset of revolution we have fallen for the lie of the PTB. Those that will remain in Zion will not be those out shedding blood in a revolution that is not for the saving of the Constitution but rather for trying to overthrow the PTB. Those are two different battles. Right now the Adversary is stirring up the hearts of men to war against one another for his greater plan. This is not the way of God. The revolution that appears to be coming is a revolution against the powers that be, not one in defense of the Constitution. There is a BIG difference. The battle that is being set up is one that is designed to destroy not the powers that be, but the Constitution itself. Though it is being painted in such a way that makes it “appear” to be a revolution against the powers that be, but in truth it is not. It is merely a strawman revolution. It is not a revolution for the Constitution and therein lies the difference.

Those who take up the sword and take exception to the commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill would only be supported in doing so by the Lord if such was His will made know to us through His Prophet. If the Prophet is telling us to be peaceful citizens, which he is, then those who take up the sword by their own will and not the will of God will fall by the sword and God will not support them in their endeavor. If God wants us to fight with weapons and bloodshed He will command His people, otherwise we are to stick strictly to the words of the commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill.

During the time of great persecution of the Church where members were being killed and tarred and feathered the Prophet never received direction to lead a military reprisal. Those members of the Church who tried to resist the enemy counter to the Prophet’s direction were allowed to be slaughtered. (Remember Haun’s Mill) The Prophets counsel was not to fight but to flee. We have seen many examples where the Lord has told us to bear the burdens of oppression. The Nephites were not allowed pray out loud but rather were told to just pray in their hearts. Sometimes the Lord asks His people to be patient in their sufferings. The Lord led the Israelites into slavery for a reason. Possibly our freedoms being taken away may serve a similar divine purpose. It is not our place to determine what is the Lord’s will for us and what is not. We can only choose to obey Him and with patience endure to the end.

President George Albert Smith observed, “There is nothing in the world more deleterious or harmful to the human family than hatred, prejudice, suspicion, and the attitude that some people have toward their fellows, of unkindness.” 16 In matters of politics, he warned, “Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground.” 17 Speaking of the great mission of the latter-day kingdom, he counseled: “This is not a militant church to which we belong. This is a church that holds out peace to the world. It is not our duty to go into the world and find fault with others, neither to criticize men because they do not understand. But it is our privilege, in kindness and love, to go among them and divide with them the truth that the Lord has revealed in this latter day.” 18

We will be counseled on this matter by our Prophet. Until then we are to follow what we have already been told and that is to be peaceful law abiding citizens.

Articles of Faith 12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

The Lord will reveal what we are to do through our Prophet as things change. I do not see this battle that is brewing to be one the Lord will want us to fight in, for it is not to save the Constitution. Rather it is to destroy America and give greater powers to the powers that be. Violence will only give the powers that be the excuse for military action and the taking away of more and more of our liberties. They are stirring up all sides to war: liberals, anarchists, conservatives, socialists, communists, truthers, conspiracy theorists, etc. Do not fall for this trick.

It may very well be that if this revolution does occur without participation by the faithful LDS, it may work into the Lord’s plans to purge the earth of portions of its telestial population. We are told the wicked will fight the wicked. They will destroy each other just as they did in the Jaredite civilization. Let us not be found among them.

Saturday January 8, 2011. What a tragic and sad day for Arizona and America. The senseless deaths and injuries in the attack upon Congresswoman Gabby Gifford’s are truly a horrifying reality of the mindset or insanity of the people of today in this wicked world. In Tucson, Arizona at least 18 people were shot, and among those who died were U.S. District Judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Green. 40 year old Congresswoman Gabby Gifford of AZ sustained a bullet wound to the head and is in critical condition. The survival rate of a gunshot to the head is approximately 5%. If she survives it will be months before they can tell the severity of the damage caused, though she is showing some ability to communicate which is a favorable sign.

Gabby Gifford is married to space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly. Her wedding ring is inscribe with the message “”You’re the closest to heaven that I’ve ever been”.

I am very saddened by this tragedy and my heart goes out to the many victims and their families of this horrible incident. Many have died, others are at this moment struggling for life, others wounded physically or just emotionally in this tragedy. They deserve our prayers, empathy and support. This is truly a sad time that Americans should be treated as such, putting all politics aside. Many people lost their lives and others are still struggling for theirs. The killer has no justification for his actions no matter what they were. He has only shown that he is one of the wicked that will be cast in the fire. Any Christian person should only see sadness in this incident.

A face of one of the innocent victims

Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green was one of the victims of this tragedy she was fatally shot after her neighbors invited her to go along to this political advent. Her neighbor was reportedly shot 4 times and is fighting their life at this time. Christina had just been elected to the student council at her school. The event was an opportunity for constituents to meet Ms. Gifford. Christina, who was reportedly shot in the chest, had been featured in a book Faces of Hope: Babies born on 9/11. What an ironic mischance for this little girl to be born on such a tragic historic day as 911 and to die amidst another horrific American tragedy. Her little life was lived in between the bookends of these two such historic tragedies. She was the daughter of Dodgers scout John Greene, and granddaughter of former Phillies pitcher and manager Dallas Greene who was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies when they won the World Series in 1980.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt released a statement:

“We lost a member of the Dodgers family today. The entire Dodgers organization is mourning the death of John’s daughter Christina, and will do everything we can to support John, his wife Roxana and their son Dallas in the aftermath of this senseless tragedy. I spoke with John earlier today and expressed condolences on behalf of the entire Dodgers organization.”

For more on the story of Christina Taylor Green you can go to LINK

Such a young life taken for what? One man’s hatred and inability to control his personal demons? There is no excuse for this hideous tragedy. I feel sorrow for his family and his soul.

Other victims include, approximately 20 people in total shot. Those that have passed away from their injuries at this time are John Roll age 63 a federal judge, Gabe Zimmeramn age 30 a staff member of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford and engaged to be married, Dorthy Morris age 76, Phyllis Scheck age 79, and Dorwin Stoddard age 76 who it is said was shot in the head when he threw himself on his wounded wife to try to protect her.

This situation no matter how you look at it is a tremendous tragedy and a total disgrace to any freedom-loving person. To kill others for speaking or attempting to live their personal pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness is evil. No glory, respect or understanding should be shown to such a horrific act in which violates such a serious commandment such as the Lord’s prohibition on murder.

This kind of pure evil is exactly what the Adversary wants, to inspire people to kill or have lack of empathy over a killing because someone is “marked” as an enemy. Anyone that has desires to kill our “enemy” is a friend and follower of the devil. We have been clearly told to love our enemies. Congress Woman Gabby Gifford and others were only doing what is within their rights to do as citizens of this country. People may not agree with someone’s political beliefs but they do have a God given right to have them, whether they be right or wrong. We as citizens are the ones responsible if we choose leaders that are not in line with the original intent of the Constitution, the person that is wrongly chosen is NOT where the blame lies. The blame lies within the people of this country that have turned away from God.

If one has the desire to protect the Constitution of the United States of America they will do it by non-violent means. If one is attempting to destroy America and its Constitution, violence is the way to achieve it. We are told that the people will flee to Zion for safety if they desire not to have to take up arms against their neighbor. As Latter-day Saints it is our duty to be the peacemakers, the ones that keep a Christ-like attitude and behavior as an example and light to the world, to guide people in the ways of God.

Saturday was a sad day for Freedom-loving people for a person took the Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness away from people on this tragic Saturday. Where is the justice in that? There is none.

“Politicized Pundits and Politicians (PPPs) are on the air now analyzing the ramblings of Loughner, as if they are worthy of analysis. They are already starting to use him as a poster child for gun control or against the Tea Party, or for a Rodney King-style “can’t we all be friends” approach to political civility.”

Whether the killer’s political views were Right, Left, Tea Party, Anarchic or just crazy, his actions are evil and inspired by the Devil. This is not the way to change politics or show ones disdain for others views. It only creates a state of fear and distrust that leads to more conflicts and freedoms being taken away.

Some may refer to certain political leaders or candidates as the enemy and use such words as proponents of One World Oder or Gadiantions, but who is the real Gadianton, considering that the gunman’s actions could lead to more curtailment of freedoms?

The ballet box not bullets is the correct means to reform a government, in a Christ-like manner, anything more or less is inspired and applauded by the Devil. For this country to get back on track it can only be accomplished through repentance and turning back to God.

This kind of evil horrific act only plays into the Devils hands no matter how you look at it. Any person that participates or desires to ignite the fires of a bloody violent revolution is not being inspired by God and has lost the Spirit of God, if they even ever had it in the first place. We should be praying for the victims and their families and for order and Christ-like thoughts to return to the hearts of any other persons that have this blood-lust rage that is inspired of the devil.

Please pray with me for those that have suffered through this horrible event and for those whose hearts have become so hardened that they can do such acts. Pray also for our country and its healing that can only come from turning to Christ. Pray that we can hold up the Constitution that is hanging by a thread by our example of Christ-like behavior and love.

Rosabella Knightley

Ether 8:24

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

So what is the awful situation we are told to awake to?

To awake to our awful situation is not to awake only to the fact that a secret combination exists. It is also and more importantly to awake to our state of sin and iniquity both individually and as a nation. The secret combination is merely a symptom, not a cause. Many seem to focus on this symptom and think it is the root cause of all the evils in the world, but it is merely a symptom, a major symptom, but still just a symptom. The disease is personal and communal unrighteousness. I feel we need to look through spiritual eyes first over temporal eyes to truly understand what our awful situation is. When one reads scriptures and talks  about our awful situation through temporal eyes one will read the temporal meaning, but if we shed this limited view and look upon them spiritually we will see what our awful situation truly is and how we can best address it.

Boyd K. Packer, “Do Not Fear,” Liahona, May 2004, 77–80

We do not fear the future for ourselves or for our children. We live in dangerously troubled times. The values that steadied mankind in earlier times are being tossed away.

We must not ignore Moroni’s words when he saw our day and said, “Ye [must] awake to a sense of your awful situation” (Ether 8:24).

We cannot take lightly this warning from the Book of Mormon:

“The Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him … doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

“And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him” (Hel. 12:1–3; emphasis added).

“Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you” (Ether 8:14.)

The promises and warnings of God are that if we worship Him on this land, which means serving and obeying Him, we will be protected from all attempts to wrest our freedom from us. If however we choose wickedness over Godliness then our promise and warning is that we will be swept off. The Book of Mormon is written for our time and shows the pattern that has occurred on this promised land. It shows the cycle of pride which is the downfall of man and civilizations. It is the cycle of pride that we must understand to then better understand the secret combinations. The promised sweeping off will in part be brought about by our allowing for the building of a secret combination that flourishes when man is wicked. Some incorrectly think of wickedness as only gross sins, but it is also the small sins. It is a sin when one knows a higher law and has been commanded to do it yet does not. Such things include, not doing missionary work, not striving in your calling, not doing home teaching and visiting teaching, not going to the temple, not doing family history work, and not building the kingdom of God.

Ezra Taft Benson, “Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints,” Ensign, Jul 1972, 59

The Book of Mormon further warns that “whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed. …” (Ether 8:22.)

This scripture should alert us to what is ahead unless we repent, because there is no question but that as people of the free world, we are increasingly upholding many of the evils of the adversary today.

Below are some scriptures that explain what our awful situation truly is  and puts the terms in context throughout the scriptures. This helps us  gain a deeper perspective of the meaning in Ether Chapter 8.

2 Ne. 1: 13
13 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 Ne. 9: 46-47

46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery.

47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?

Mosiah 2: 38 & 40

38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

40 O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression.

Ether 2: 9-12

9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.

11 And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.

12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

Now have these scriptures in mind as you read Ether Chapter 8. Also keep in mind the quotes of the Prophets and Apostles that have been and will be quoted.

Ether 8: 18-26

18 And it came to pass that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God;

19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.

20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.

22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

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.

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

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.

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.

The secret combination is just a result of our iniquity, not the cause of the destruction of our country. The cause of the destruction is our iniquity. The combination is only part of the process of destruction, but not the cause. The cause is iniquity, sin and turning away from God. The Secret Combination is only able to exist and grow because of the wickedness of man. Therefore the only way to fight the Secret Combination is at its root. The root is the awful state of this country turning away from God. If this country had stayed God-focused it would not have been taken over by the symptom of the Secret Combinations. This combination through all time has always sat in wait until people are ripe in iniquity and have turned from God. Then they can come into power. When we see these combinations among us, then like  outward sores are a symptom of our inward disease, so also these combinations are a sign to us or a symptom of the awful situation we are in which is gross collective wickedness.

So the true way to fight this great evil in the world is doing exactly what the Church has told us to do, which is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, call people to repentance and serve God with all your heart, mind and strength, build His kingdom. Awakening people to a secret combination is not the primary thing we have been told to awaken people to. We have been told to awaken them first to their state of sin, so they can repent. If enough people repent then they will be empowered from On High to overthrow wickedness including the Secret Combination. Also when enough people are righteous, God puts forth His power to defeat the enemies of freedom and this land is protected. When we turn away from God and become filled with iniquity, then God permits evil combinations to rise up in order that we might be punished.

Ezra Taft Benson, “A Witness and a Warning,” Ensign, Nov 1979, 31

No nation which has kept the commandments of God has ever perished, but I say to you that once freedom is lost, only blood—human blood—will win it back.

There are some things we can and must do at once if we are to stave off a holocaust of destruction.

First: We must return to worship the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. He has promised that the righteous will be preserved by His power (see 1 Ne. 22:17). But we must keep the commandments of God. We must pay our tithes and offerings, keep the Sabbath day a holy day, stay morally clean, be honest in all our dealings, and have our family and personal prayers. We must live the gospel.

Second: We must awaken to “a sense of [our] awful situation, because of this secret combination which [is] among [us]” (Ether 8:24). We must not tolerate accommodation with or appeasement toward the false system of Communism. We must demand of our elected officials that we not only resist Communism, but that we will take every measure to prevent its intrusion into this hemisphere. It is vital that we invoke the Monroe Doctrine.

Then we must put our trust in Him who has promised us His protection—and pray that He will intervene to preserve our freedom just as He intervened in our obtaining it in the first place.

Third: We must do as the Lord commanded us by revelation in 1833: “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10).

Men who are wise, good, and honest, who will uphold the Constitution of the United States in the tradition of the Founding Fathers, must be sought for diligently. This is our hope to restore government to its rightful role.

Last: We must study the inspired Constitution and become involved in the political process ourselves. I quote the First Presidency statement that was read in sacrament meetings on Sunday, 1 July 1979: “We encourage all members, as citizens of the nation, to be actively involved in the political process, and to support those measures which will strengthen the community, state, and nation—morally, economically, and culturally” (Letter from the First Presidency, 29 June 1979).

I fully believe that we can turn things around in America if we have the determination, the morality, the patriotism, and the spirituality to do so.

This is the order of priorities. The point is not to awaken oneself and others to an awareness of sin INSTEAD of an awareness of the secret combinations, but rather that BOTH should be done, giving HIGHER PRIORITY to calling people to repentance and bringing them to as much truth as they will accept. It needs to be in that order, both chronologically and in terms of priority. In short getting people aware of general wickedness including their own and getting them to repent will enable them to comprehend the secret combination and use that information on the Lord’s side. There are too many people who want to fight the secret combination but because they know not the true God and/or are not in a state of righteous striving, they end up falsely believing that all organized religions including the LDS Church are part of the combination. Their awakening to the secret combination ends up playing right into the hands of the enemy and they become enemies of God in the process.

It is not just the secret combination, but more importantly it is God’s wrath that we should focus on. His wrath will include the allowing of the secret combination to grow because of our wickedness.

Marion G. Romney, “America’s Destiny,” Ensign, Nov 1975, 35

“O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you.” (Morm. 6:1, 4, 5, 7, 9–11, 15–19, 22.)

“[this] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.

The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity?

That we will repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land…

Therefore the country must do TWO things simultaneously. 1) Repent and turn back to the Judeo-Christian God and his commandments 2) Return to the original intent of the US Constitution. They both must be done or this effort will not succeed.

If we do not repent there will be no country. We will be swept off and one way is through the secret combination. The secret combination is not our primary enemy. Our primary enemy is our own iniquity.

Sinning against the Gospel and rejecting the fullness of the Gospel is where our country is at this time. An unrighteous people will never embrace a righteous government. They cannot understand it because their minds are darkened. If as a whole we turned back to God there would be hope. The requirement of God has to be met or we will experience exactly what all civilizations have faced on this land that have not served God. We will be swept off.

That is why I say the most important thing is repentance, obedience and bringing souls to the Gospel in and out of the Church. When we are doing that diligently then our efforts to awaken people politically will also bear much good fruit.

President Kimball explained what it means to warn your neighbor:

The scriptures are abundantly clear in stating that all members of the Church are responsible to do missionary work: “It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.” (D&C 88:81.)

The prophets of this dispensation also have clearly taught the concept that missionary service is the responsibility of all members. President David O. McKay taught the principle with the challenging words, “Every member a missionary!” (See Conference Report, April 1959, p. 122.)……

In one of the greatest of missionary scriptures, Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants, we are told that if we serve the Lord in missionary service “with all [our] heart, might, mind and strength,” then we may “stand blameless before God at the last day.” (D&C 4:2.)

And further, the Lord says: “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:15–16.)

Calling repentance and doing missionary work is a commandment for each member, not merely some members or some Prophets. It is what we are ALL told to do. We are to build His Kingdom.

Ether 8:23

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…

We are not able to control the devil’s kingdom, but we can fight it except through righteousness. We can build the Lord’s Kingdom and have been called to do so. It is the only thing that would save this country now, if it is to be saved. A righteous people will choose righteous leaders for we have been told this. An unrighteous people will elect unrighteous leaders which will be those that support the secret combination.

Many people today are being “Awakened” to the idea of a conspiracy only to be lead down the path the adversary has placed. They awake to the idea of the evil power elite controlling the world and include ALL organized religions in that collective, therefore leading people away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and God Himself. Coming to a realization of the existence of a secret combination does not automatically include the belief in a God and need for repentance. Waking people up to the knowledge of a secret combination without first waking them up to repentance of their own sins and their need to turn back to God may fruit dire consequences. They must understand first the Gospel to be able to grasp that our country is ripe in iniquity and in its need for repentance as a whole . Then and only then can one understand what truly is the secret combination that has gotten above us in the right perspective. If done in the reverse order it is often fruitless and actually turns some people away from the truth. One can be looked at as a political conspiracy nutcase and rightfully so, for what is being preached is not exactly what the Lord has said. Without this understanding that to “awaken” is to realize the state of iniquity that has overtaken us and not to awaken ONLY to the existence of a secret combination, people will not recognize it as truth for it is not presented in a way such that the Spirit will testify of it. For one to truly comprehend the secret combination, one must first understand the spiritual realities that we are facing, not just the political. One must have the Spirit and the gift of discernment to be able to recognize and fully understand our awful situation and the state of iniquity our country is in, which is leading us to being controlled by a secret combination “that seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries: and 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;” It must be done in this way and not in the reverse.

This is the meaning of “To Awake To Our Awful Situation” and how we should awake others to the knowledge of the truth of our state of iniquity and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Secret Combination is a fruit of our iniquity and a sign which shows how far we have fallen as a nation and a people. It is playing an important role and must be understood also, but one must first fully comprehend the Gospel and the level of wickedness the country is in before we can understand or teach of the secret combination. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness”.

Copy Right 2010 Rosabella Knightley

This is one of the best talks I have found given at General Conference that explains the definitions of what Socialism and the United Order are and how they truly differ from one another. Elder Marion G Romney as you read states that he had already given this talk once before but was asked by the Brethren to give it again at the Priesthood Session. This shows that all that was stated in his speech was exactly what the Prophet and Apostles approved of and wanted to be expressed yet again.

In the Church I hear this questions quite a bit “What really is socialism?” What does the Church mean when it talks about socialism?” What does the Church mean by the United Order?” “Is socialism or communism the same as the United Order?” Lets read from one of the most detailed Conference talks on the topic that answers these many questions.

In this General Conference talk the definition of Socialism and the United Order were laid out in great detail. It shows what the Church’s definition of both are.

I highly recommend this talk even if one feels they understand the two.

CR April 1966 General Priesthood Meeting Elder Marion G Romney

Elder Marion G. Romney

Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles

What I am going to give you now is a statement I have prepared in answer to the question, “Is Socialism the United Order?” Some of you may have already heard it. 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.

I suppose the best way to start a comparison of socialism and the United Order is with a definition of the terms. Webster defines socialism as:

Socialism defined

“A political and economic theory of social organization based on collective or governmental ownership and democratic management of the essential means for the production and distribution of goods; also, a policy or practice based on this theory.” (Webster’s New International Dictionary, 2nd ed. unabridged, 1951.)

George Bernard Shaw, the noted Fabian Socialist, said that:

“Socialism, reduced to its simplest legal and practical expression, means the complete discarding of the institution of private property by transforming it into public property and the division of the resultant income equally and indiscriminately among the entire population.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 ed., Vol. 20, p. 895.)

George Douglas Howard Cole, M.A. noted author and university reader in economics at Oxford, who treats socialism for the Encyclopedia Britannica, says that because of the shifting sense in which the word has been used, “a short and comprehensive definition is impossible. We can only say,” he concludes, “that Socialism is essentially a doctrine and a movement aiming at the collective organization of the community in the interest of the mass of the people by means of the common ownership and collective control of the means of production and exchange.” (Ibid., p. 888.)

Socialism arose “out of the economic division in society.” During the nineteenth century its growth was accelerated as a protest against “the appalling conditions prevailing in the workshops and factories and the unchristian spirit of the spreading industrial system.”

Communism, starting point

The “Communist Manifesto” drafted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels for the Communist League in 1848 is generally regarded as the starting point of modern socialism. (Ibid., p. 890.)

The distinction between socialism, as represented by the various Socialist and Labour parties of Europe and the New World, and Communism, as represented by the Russians, is one of tactics and strategy rather than of objective. Communism is indeed only socialism pursued by revolutionary means and making its revolutionary method a canon of faith. Communists like other socialists, (1) believe in the collective control and ownership of the vital means of production and (2) seek to achieve through state action the coordinated control of the economic forces of society. They (the Communists) differ from other socialists in believing that this control can be secured, and its use in the interests of the workers ensured, only by revolutionary action leading to the dictatorship of the proletariat and the creation of a new proletarian state as the instrument of change. (Ibid.)

German Socialism

A major rift between so-called orthodox socialism and communist socialism occurred in 1875 when the German Social Democratic party set forth its objective of winning power by taking over control of the bourgeois state, rather than by overthrowing it. In effect, the German Social Democratic party became a parliamentary party, aiming at the assumption of political power by constitutional means.

Fabian Society

In the 1880’s a small group of intellectuals set up in England the Fabian Society, which has had a major influence on the development of modern orthodox socialism. Fabianism stands “for the evolutionary conception of socialism . . . endeavoring by progressive reforms and the nationalization of industries, to turn the existing state into a `welfare state.’” Somewhat on the order of the German Social Democrats Fabians aim “at permeating the existing parties with socialistic ideas [rather] than at creating a definitely socialistic party.” They appeal “to the electorate not as revolutionaries but as constitutional reformers seeking a peaceful transformation of the system.” (Ibid.)

Forms and policies of socialism

The differences in forms and policies of socialism occur principally in the manner in which they seek to implement their theories.

They all advocate:

(1) That private ownership of the vital means of production be abolished and that all such property “pass under some form of coordinated public control.”

(2) That the power of the state be used to achieve their aims.

(3) “That with a change in the control of industry will go a change in the motives which operate in the industrial system. . . .” (Ibid.)

So much now for the definition of socialism. I have given you these statements in the words of socialists and scholars, not my words, so they have had their hearing.

The United Order

Now as to the United Order, and here I will give the words of the Lord and not my words. The United Order the Lord’s program for eliminating the inequalities among men, is based upon the underlying concept that the earth and all things therein belong to the Lord and that men hold earthly possessions as stewards accountable to God.

On January 2, 1831, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that the Church was under obligation to care for the poor. (See D&C 38.) Later he said:

“I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, . . .and all things therein are mine.

“And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.

“But it must needs be done in mine own way. . . .” (D&C 104:14-16.)

Consecration and stewardship

On February 9, 1831, the Lord revealed to the Prophet what his way was. (See D&C 42.) In his way there were two cardinal principles: (1) consecration and (2) stewardship.

To enter the United Order, when it was being tried, one consecrated all his possessions to the Church by a “covenant and a deed which” could not “be broken.” (D&C 42:30.) That is, he completely divested himself of all of his property by conveying it to the Church.

Having thus voluntarily divested himself of title to all his property, the consecrator received from the Church a stewardship by a like conveyance. This stewardship could be more or less than his original consecration, the object being to make “every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.” (D&C 51:3.)

This procedure preserved in every man the right to private ownership and management of his property. At his own option he could alienate it or keep and operate it and pass it on to his heirs.

The intent was, however, for him to so operate his property as to produce a living for himself and his dependents. So long as he remained in the order, he consecrated to the Church the surplus he produced above the needs and wants of his family. This surplus went into a storehouse from which stewardships were given to others and from which the needs of the poor were supplied.

These divine principles are very simple and easily understood. A comparison of them with the underlying principles of socialism reveal similarities and basic differences.

Comparisons and contrasts: Similarities

The following are similarities: Both (1) deal with production and distribution of goods; (2) aim to promote the well-being of men by eliminating their economic inequalities; (3) envision the elimination of the selfish motives in our private capitalistic industrial system.

Differences

Now the differences:

(1) The cornerstone of the United Order is belief in God and acceptance of him as Lord of the earth and the author of the United Order.

Socialism, wholly materialistic, is founded in the wisdom of men and not of God. Although all socialists may not be atheists, none of them in theory or practice seek the Lord to establish his righteousness.

(2) The United Order is implemented by the voluntary free-will actions of men, evidenced by a consecration of all their property to the Church of God.

One time the Prophet Joseph Smith asked a question by the brethren about the inventories they were taking. His answer was to the effect, “You don’t need to be concerned about the inventories. Unless a man is willing to consecrate everything he has, he doesn’t come into the United Order.” (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 7, pp. 412-13.) On the other hand, socialism is implemented by external force, the power of the state.

(3) In harmony with church belief, as set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, “that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property” (D&C 134:2), the United Order is operated upon the principle of private ownership and individual management.

God-given agency preserved in United Order

Thus in both implementation and ownership and management of property, the United Order preserves to men their God-given agency, while socialism deprives them of it.

(4) The United Order is non-political.

Socialism is political, both in theory and practice. It is thus exposed to, and riddled by, the corruption that plagues and finally destroys all political governments that undertake to abridge man’s agency.

(5) A righteous people is a prerequisite to the United Order.

Socialism argues that it as a system will eliminate the evils of the profit motive.

The United Order exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process both are sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and humiliating limitations of poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both temporally and spiritually. The rich, by consecration and by imparting of their surplus for the benefit of the poor, not by constraint but willingly as an act of free will, evidence that charity for their fellowmen characterized by Mormon as “the pure love of Christ.” (Moro. 7:47.)

Socialism not United Order

No, brethren, socialism is not the United Order. However, notwithstanding my abhorrence of it, I am persuaded that socialism is the wave of the present and of the foreseeable future. It has already taken over or is contending for control in most nations.

“At the end of the year [1964] parties affiliated with the [Socialist] International were in control of the governments of Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Israel, and the Malagasy Republic. They had representatives in coalition cabinets in Austria, Belgium, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, constituted the chief opposition in France, India, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and West Germany; and were significant political forces in numerous other countries. Many parties dominant in governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America announced that their aim was a socialist society.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1965 Book of the Year, p. 736.)

United States has adopted much socialism

We here in the United States, in converting our government into a social welfare state, have ourselves adopted much of socialism. Specifically, we have to an alarming degree adopted the use of the power of the state in the control and distribution of the fruits of industry. We are on notice according to the words of the President, that we are going much further, for he is quoted as saying:

“We’re going to take all the money we think is unnecessarily being spent and take it from the `haves’ and give it to the `have nots.’” (1964 Congressional Record, p. 6142, Remarks of the President to a Group of Leaders of Organizations of Senior Citizens in the Fish Room, March 24, 1964.)

Socialism takes: United Order gives

That is the spirit of socialism: We’re going to take. The spirit of the United Order is: We’re going to give.

We have also gone a long way on the road to public ownership and management of the vital means of production. In both of these areas the free agency of Americans has been greatly abridged. Some argue that we have voluntarily surrendered this power to government. Be this as it may, the fact remains that the loss of freedom with the consent of the enslaved, or even at their request, is nonetheless slavery.

As to the fruits of socialism, we all have our own opinions. I myself have watched its growth in our own country and observed it in operation in many other lands. But I have yet to see or hear of its freeing the hearts of men of selfishness and greed or of its bringing peace, plenty, or freedom. These things it will never bring, nor will it do away with idleness and promote “industry, thrift and self-respect,” for it is founded, in theory and in practice, on force, the principle of the evil one.

As to the fruits of the United Order I suggest you read Moses 7:16-18 and 4 Nephi 2-3, 15-16. If we had time we could review the history, what little we know, of Zion in the days of Enoch and about what happened among the Nephites under those principles of the United Order in the first two centuries following the time of the Savior.

What can we do?

Now what can we do about it?

As I recently reminded my wife of the moratorium on the United Order, which the Lord placed in 1834 (D&C 105:34), that socialism is taking over in the nations and that its expressed aims will surely fail, she spiritedly put to me the question: “Well, then, what would you suggest, that we just sit on our hands in despair and do nothing?” Perhaps similar questions have occurred to you. The answer is, “No, by no means!” We have much to do, and fortunately for us the Lord has definitely prescribed the course we should follow with respect to socialism and the United Order.

Constitution God-inspired

He 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. I hope I can get this point over to you. He said he established the Constitution to preserve to men their free agency, because the whole gospel of Jesus Christ presupposes man’s untrammeled exercise of free agency. Man is in the earth to be tested. The issue 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 man’s agency, and the whole purpose of his mortality is thwarted. Without it, the Lord says, there is no existence. (See D&C 93:30.) The Lord so valued our agency that he designed and dictated “the laws and constitution” required to guarantee it. This he explained in the revelation in which he instructed the Prophet Joseph Smith to appeal for help,

Just and holy principles

“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;

“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose. . . .” (D&C 101:77-78, 80.)

Sustain Constitutional law

Previously he had said:

“And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

“And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind and is justifiable before me.

“Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land [the test of its constitutionality in the words of the Lord here is whether it preserves man's agency];

“And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil.

“I, the Lord God, make you free therefore ye are free indeed; and the law [that is, constitutional law] also maketh you free.

“Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.

“Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.” (D&C 98:4-10.)

These scriptures declare the Constitution to be a divine document. They tell us that “according to just and holy principles,” the Constitution and the law of the land which supports the “principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before” God; that, “as pertaining to [the] law of man whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.” They remind us that the Lord has made us free and that laws that are constitutional will also make us free.

“When the wicked rule, the people mourn”

Right at this point, almost as if he were warning us against what is happening today, the Lord said: “Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.” Then, that we might know with certainty what we should do about it, he concluded: “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold. . . .”

In its context this instruction, according to my interpretation, can only mean that we should seek diligently for and support men to represent us in government who are “wise” enough to understand freedom-as provided for in the Constitution and as implemented in the United Order-and who are honest enough and good enough to fight to preserve it.

“. . . under no other government in the world could the Church have been established,” said President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and he continued:

“. . . if we are to live as a Church, and progress, and have the right to worship as we are worshipping here today, we must have the great guarantees that are set up by our Constitution. There is no other way in which we can secure these guarantees.” (Conference Report, October 1942, pp. 58-59.)

Now, not forgetting our duty to eschew socialism and support the just and holy principles of the Constitution, as directed by the Lord, I shall conclude these remarks with a few comments concerning what we should do about the United Order.

What to do about United Order

The final words of the Lord in suspending the order were: “And let those commandments which I have given concerning Zion and her law be executed and fulfilled, after her redemption.” (D&C 105:34.)

Further implementation of the order must therefore await the redemption of Zion. Here Zion means Jackson County, Missouri. When Zion is redeemed, as it most certainly shall be, it will be redeemed under a government and by a people strictly observing those “just and holy principles” of the Constitution that accord to men their God-given moral agency, including the right to private property. If, in the meantime, socialism takes over in America, it will have to be displaced, if need be, by the power of God, because the United Order can never function under socialism or “the welfare state,” for the good and sufficient reason that the principles upon which socialism and the United Order are conceived and operated are inimical.

In the meantime, while we await the redemption of Zion and the earth and the establishment of the United Order, we as bearers of the priesthood should live strictly by the principles of the United Order insofar as they are embodied in present church practices, such as the fast offering, tithing, and the welfare activities. Through these practices we could as individuals, if we were of a mind to do so, implement in our own lives all the basic principles of the United Order.

As you will recall, the principles underlying the United Order are consecration and stewardships and then the contribution of surpluses into the bishop’s storehouse. When the law of tithing was instituted four years after the United Order experiment was suspended, the Lord required the people to put “all their surplus property . . . into the hands of the bishop” (D&C 119:1); thereafter they were to “pay one-tenth of all their interest annually. . . .” (D&C 119:4.) This law, still in force, implements to a degree at least the United Order principle of stewardships, for it leaves in the hands of each person the ownership and management of the property from which he produces the needs of himself and family. Furthermore to use again the words of President Clark:

“. . . in lieu of residues and surpluses which were accumulated and built up under the United Order, we, today, have our fast offerings, our Welfare donations, and our tithing all of which may be devoted to the care of the poor, as well as for the carrying on of the activities and business of the Church.”

What prohibits us from giving as much in fast offerings as we would have given in surpluses under the United Order? Nothing but our own limitations.

Furthermore, we had under the United Order a bishop’s storehouse in which were collected the materials from which to supply the needs and the wants of the poor. We have a bishop’s storehouse under the Welfare Plan, used for the same purpose. . . .

“We have now under the Welfare Plan all over the Church, . . . land projects . . . farmed for the benefit of the poor. . . .

“Thus . . . in many of its great essentials, we have, [in] the Welfare Plan . . . the broad essentials of the United Order. Furthermore, having in mind the assistance which is being given from time to time . . . to help set people up in business or in farming, we have a plan which is not essentially unlike that which was in the United Order when the poor were given portions from the common fund.”

It is thus apparent that when the principles of tithing and the fast are properly observed and the Welfare Plan gets fully developed and wholly into operation, “we shall not be so very far from carrying out the great fundamentals of the United Order.” (Conference Report, October 1942, pp. 51-58.)

The only limitation on you and me is within ourselves.

A Prayer:

And now in line with these remarks for three things I pray:

(1) That the Lord will somehow quicken our understanding of the differences between socialism and the United Order and give us a vivid awareness of the awful portent of those differences.

(2) That we will develop the understanding, the desire, and the courage born of the Spirit, to eschew socialism and to support and sustain, in the manner revealed and as interpreted by the Lord, those just and holy principles embodied in the Constitution of the United States for the protection of all flesh, in the exercise of their God-given agency.

(3) That through faithful observance of the principles of tithing, the fast, and the welfare program, we will prepare ourselves to redeem Zion and ultimately live the United Order, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.