(Each are explained in the article)
10. Truth is stranger than fiction - and it is beautiful!
9. Hail to the Prophet
8. Independence, Preparation, Practicality
7. Saved by grace, after all that we can do
6. Focus on the Family
5. I am a Child of God (Children’s Song)
4. Kool-Aid - best drink ever!
3. He who has eyes to see, let him see.
2. Plan of Salvation
1. “I Believe in Christ” (Popular LDS Hymn)

My wife and I recently had a very nice dinner and visit with a leader in my company who was in Salt Lake for a meeting. We had a chance to stroll around Temple Square, though most things were closed.  This man is quite spiritually minded himself and I’ve enjoyed brief conversations on religion with him in the past.  He’s had very little exposure to Latter-Day Saints, so it was a lot of fun for us both to visit with him about life, skim the surface of things LDS, and let him know how much Christ’s gospel as embodied in this church has blessed our lives.

He inspired me to list out a few of the reasons I am absolutely thrilled to be anchored to the Rock of Christ as revealed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The more committed, creative, or scholarly might make a better list, but here’s my shot.
10. Truth is stranger than fiction - and it is beautiful!
Stories familiar to me since childhood sound pretty strange to most people.  And because they’re not yet engrained with world-wide legendary status or accepted by billions as matters of fact like biblical history, it is nearly impossible for many people to take very seriously.  (i.e., your beliefs are shared by so few, that they can’t possibly be true).  So most just think we’re brain-washed.  When I realized how unusual our own history and doctrine is, I likewise wondered if I was brainwashed.  But through prayer, study, and living the teachings, my mind has raced and come alive with a fascinating world of Truth that is unbeknownst to most people - even inside our religion sometimes.  Even if you have a hard time accepting the story of how our church came into existence, if you just read the Book of Mormon and study our practices and interpretations of the Bible with an eye to pick out truths that can bless your life and bring you closer to God, you’ll be amazed at the value you will find.  Truth is found in historical, physical, and social science.  LDS theology supports pure science.

9. Hail to the Prophet
If God ever spoke to man through prophets, why would He cease?  What is the Bible other than the collection of remaining prophetic writings that began with Adam and continued for thousands of years.  God’s intent was that there should be no end to scripture and revelation, nor to prophets and apostles.  However God allowed revelation to cease and Christ’s church structure to dissolve through the Dark Ages in part because Satan simply had great hold upon the people of those times.  The righteous were crucified or fed to lions, and Church leadership became lost and wicked as Luther pointed out.

However as more and more hungered for the truth, the Lord was ready to re-establish the truth that was driven into obscurity by Satan during that period.  He began with Luther, inspired our Founding Fathers and Constitution, inspired Protestants and the Great Awakenings, and ultimately has established Prophets again in the land as in the days of ancient Israel.  Is it so hard to believe?  To me it is almost easier to accept Atheism than to believe there would be no prophets today when so many hunger for, seeking it out via science, reasoning, religion, etc., but are greatly split on where best to find it.  Up to 10% of the entire human family since Adam is alive today and searching as never before for truth that is hidden as never before as a needle within a media haystack.  Given such a huge share of the “family” is here TODAY, God would surely be actively communicating to inspired individuals and even to official spokesmen just as in times of old to help save His family.

8. Independence, Preparation, Practicality
God would have His people be of great service to their fellow man, and counts any service to man as service to Him (Golden Rule).  Thus as much as possible, we cannot allow ourselves to be wards of the state, but in fact must carry our own weight and then some if we are to be of service.  To be solidly LDS is to be mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically prepared for whatever life can throw at you.  If life deals you a good hand and you’re fortunate enough to avoid serious pain, then it is incumbent upon you to use your stewardships and talents in support of those who do suffer - even if their suffering is brought about by their own actions (recall the Lord praises those who visit those in prison).  It is to take whatever talents the Lord has given, and to “double them” as commanded in the Lord’s parable of the talents.  I love LDS emphasis on education, emergency preparedness/food storage, and general well roundedness.  The true gospel will help each person develop their inner genius across an array of disciplines. 

7. Saved by grace, after all that we can do
Latter-day Saints recognize that we cannot save ourselves and are completely dependent on the grace of Christ, but we also recognize that Christ sets the rules for how His Grace is divvied.  Resurrection is a gift of Grace that even the wicked will freely get (a recognition that they chose to be part of the 2/3rds who supported Christ in the Pre-Existence).  Beyond this, we must strive to be more like Him every day, and repent when we fall short.  If we will do that, then He will elect to “save us by His grace, after all that we can do”. 

6. Focus on the Family
God has declared His mission and purpose to be “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”.  Thus man is His family, and solid human families are the key means of ensuring that parents of children will bring forth good fruits that are pleasing to God.  I once met a man who when he learned I was LDS, expressed concern the world was over-populated, but said “nonetheless, LDS should keep having as many kids as they can because from my experience they’re among the world’s most solid citizens around, and we need a lot of that in spite of the additional population”.  I have 5 little kids, and what a burden!  It is hard, but they are also such a joy.  Family home evenings, eternal marriage, the list goes on.  “No success in life can compensate for failure in the home.”  There is great support for families found here.

5. I am a Child of God (Children’s Song)
There is a strong, healthy emphasis in this church to have every individual on the earth see their soul as infinitely valuable in God’s eyes.  More than that, to see God very much as a loving parent in whom you can count on, confide in, converse with, and get responses from.   He is the All-Powerful Governor of the Universe, but in spite of our billions of siblings, He can also be as intimate and personally concerned for our individual well being as even the best parent one could imagine. 

4. Kool-Aid - best drink ever!
Part of what makes being LDS so valuable is that it’s just plain fun.  “Singles Ward” was a movie that emphasized much of that unique culture, but it is embodied in so many activities that together just make for a fun life.  Primary songs, goofy neighbors as your Sunday school teachers, cub scouts, boy scouts, youth dances & activities, seminary, service projects, church history tours, 2-year missions, “vacation-log” testimonies, little kid testimonies, creative and usually harmless unintoxicated teenage mischief, family reunions, green Jell-O at ward parties, funeral potatoes, wedding receptions in the cultural haul, last day of the month home teaching - it all adds up to a way of life that is engaging and truly fun. 

3. He who has eyes to see, let him see.
There is something almost magical about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as practiced in this church.  Prayer, study, pondering, and time have helped me comprehend so many powerful truths - mysteries of God if you will - that are lost to the view of the rest of humanity and even largely to general Christianity.  I’ve only scratched the surface of what I could know through mechanisms revealed by Christ’s restored gospel.  It is as though mankind - Christendom largely included - stumbles along in relative blindness compared to this (the worldly being focused on spiritually inconsequential base sciences; Christianity missing “the rest of the story”). 

There are whole new dimensions of truth to be seen through these lenses.  It’s like being in the shoes of Einstein in some ways, where he could see things no one else could see.  Atheists and intellectuals think they see 20/20 when they worship the God of Science, but they are so blind to the most important truths - the Spiritual Sciences.  It’s like looking at a 3-D picture where the majority see only a bunch of red and green dots, and scoff at those few who swear there is a dolphin visible if you look at it long enough and cross your eyes just right.

2. Plan of Salvation
The full vision of our eternal-backward and eternal-forward existence, and the role that this in-between earth plays in our status going forward, is breathtakingly beautiful and definitely inspires the converted soul - long-time members and those just beginning to “see the Dolphins” - to repent and align their lives with Christ so as to be found in a more rewarding, if not the most rewarding afterlife, the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom.   In God’s great Plan, where we came from, why we’re here, and where we may end up are answered with powerful satisfaction.  There is an answer to the most perplexing dilemmas facing some branches of Christianity, such as what to do about the many good people of the earth who died with no knowledge of Christ, given that Christ himself explained that no one can come into heaven except by him, and baptism is the key that unlocks the gate allowing him to enter if he wills it. 

1. ”I Believe in Christ” (Popular LDS Hymn)
Every element of the Church recognizes Christ as the keystone of our happiness and salvation.  There are wonderful insights into Christ’s atonement.  The meaning and purpose of His sacrifice are all very well articulated.  The fact that He never fell victim to the sins of the world, yet suffered as though he were guilty of all sin, gives him respect in the Heavens such that all of creation bows low before him and will grant unto him the power to redeem fallen man if they will confess the truth and repent.  It is unfortunate that a church so Christ-centered is labeled “Mormon” because the more meaningful name is so long.  The ancient American prophet Mormon who compiled 1000 years of Christ-centered prophecy and spiritual lessons is simply much easier to say. 

It is likewise unfortunate that so many good Christians are so antagonistic toward this branch.  It makes sense - our foundations and tenets are significantly different.  However, it is not unlike “The Ugly Duckling”, where the “ducklings” who formed as protestants to clearly erroneous middle-ages Catholisism are so proud that they’ve got something better than that, that they can only recognize this Restored Gospel of Christ as some kind of freakish-looking duck that can’t possibly be “true” when it is so young (How can something only 180-years old and with relatively small following be anything other than a cult?).  In truth what looks awkward and false at first glance is in fact a Beautiful Swan, a Pearl of Great Price — even Christ’s very gospel of salvation in its fulness, as the Crown Jewel of the Biblical Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.

To Be a Latter-Day Saint is to Believe in Christ

To Be a Latter-Day Saint is to Be Happy

in Your Pursuit of Happiness

The star of a 3-million audience radio show, and host of a CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck was in Salt Lake today (Dec. 3, 2006) to do a Christmas show. I truly felt fortunate because I heard one of the most spiritually moving testimonies I’ve ever heard “ and Ive heard a lot!”  The show itself was pretty entertaining and had a lot of twists in it that bent my mind a bit in new directions, and was fun. It was somewhat politically incorrect (Joy to the world except for France).

It also was the story of the Christmases of his life, and his search for meaning through it all.  He told a story of the last Christmas before his mom committed suicide when he was 12.  She was so poor as a single mother, and used her last $20 to get him a Christmas sweater, and that was all he got that year. She was so optimistic that he’d value it.  He was disappointed, but played along telling her it was great.  He didn’t really value it though, and I guess inadvertently tossed it on the floor. She saw it and was saddened, so he picked it up and put it away neatly. 

The grand finale was a real tribute to Christ Himself.  He felt that most things in our lives are of temporary nature, and that’s some of the reason God allows bad things to happen (because it isn’t permanent). But the most valuable, permanent gift ever, like the love behind that sweater, is Christ himself.  Never throw Him on the floor. Treating Him nicely and neatly is better, but for Heaven’s sake WEAR THE GIFT OF REDEMPTION!

How Glenn Became LDS

He held a special session for the Salt Lake audience afterwards.  At least 99.9% of the audience stayed. He wanted desperately to convey his conversion story to an audience that would understand it and value it.  It was a powerful story of how God hunted him down, or stalked him over the years. He was always powerfully drawn to radio, and pursued it vigorously after his mother died.  By age 18 he was assigned to a station in Provo, where he got his first taste of Happy Valley Kool-Aid drinkers.  When he was sent to Washington (D.C.?) a new co-worker was also LDS.  He ran into several later, and all of it was preparing him toward a day when he could be more receptive.  (As a lost, prideful alcoholic, he says there was very little wickedness he didn’t do).

I forget how he ran into Pat Grey (www.patgrey.com), the guy who influenced him the most, but they had a good relationship for many years while the Lord continued to guide Glenn on paths that He wanted him to go down.  At the bottom of alcoholism and sadness, he and Tonia decided to go church shopping.  He was open-minded about every Christian church except the one with all the weird freaks he knew.  Pat Grey says, You owe me at least one visit while you’re shopping.  So he went to check that guilt off the list. 

While there, they corralled him into gospel essentials class, where he was shocked to find you could ask questions.  He hit “Sister” with a “Where’s Gandhi going, Heaven or Hell?” expecting a qualified Hell as the response which seemed to be the position most other religions claimed of the unbaptized. Doubly shocked to find that she turned it back to the class where there were some pretty decent responses. “What’s this, the teacher asks the students?”

(He didn’t explain, but I suppose they recognized that Gandhi was a noble and great one whose role on earth was foreordained.  He was so in tune with truth and light that it’s hard to believe he would turn down this facet of Truth when he ultimately learns that Christ is the Redeemer).

So they left church that day with his daughter saying “I felt pretty good there, let’s try it again next week, please!”  He likewise thought, “Well, nothing in particular ticked me off, but I’m sure it’s coming!”

So he started going through 1,500 missionaries, and pummeling them with a cover-to-cover read of Mormon Doctrine.  The bishop in the area was going crazy as Glenn would ask things that even the Prophet has never been asked. They paid tithing, had callings, all before committing to baptism.  He resisted because he didn’t want to be one of those plastic people.

One day Super Plastic-Man, with his amazing plastic family (his icon for the too-good-to-be-true-but-suspectedly-off-the-mark-perfect Mormon) was teaching priesthood and their spirits communicated over a discussion of Zion.  They were both in tears and he suddenly had a sensation that this plastic man was actually among the most Real people he’d ever seen (see my essay on What is Real).

Finally, he came to baptism for all the right reasons “in part because He was convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel (which he had intellectually been for awhile I gather), but more because he felt the awful burden of the sinfulness of his life crushing him, and he needed the redemption promised by baptism lest he end up like his mother.  He was very emotional at this point and you could just see he felt Christ had redeemed him and begun building a beautiful park on a former landfill (a talk from Oct, 2006 conference).

His Spiritual Life After Baptism

So then came a new life of wonderment, happiness, enlightenment, commitment, and utility in the service of the Lord.  He mentioned how his patriarchal blessing said something like, “if you’re committed to me, success will unfold before you with ease, but in all of this beware to be humble.”  (I forget his words.  They were pretty different but the gist of it was something like that).  He noted that as he was about to go national, he felt prompted to write the First Presidency, I guess in part to let them know of his desire to commit his life to the Lord in service (and though he didn’t say it, probably also to warn them to get ready for potential embarrassment in front of millions).  He did write, and after a delayed reaction at the mailbox, he let it drop.  At that instant he felt the spirit confirm, You have passed the test.  I can now use you, and I will.  Ever since he has been picking up in popularity, and he feels he really is called to what he is doing, and approaches the job as a mission from God.

He ended with a heartfelt plea for all of us to prepare for the coming Storm.  In case you don’t listen much, his biggest subject is the rise of Islamic Jihadists, which he believes will instigate World War III, which he believes is already in the early stages. I likewise believe there will be such a Storm, but I approach it on my site from an economic angle, which is where I feel the Spirit has been moving me.

He noted he felt sorry for Westerners and it was a little unclear why.  He talked of how New Yorkers are nervous about their status as targets, and I got the sense his pity for Westerners was because he believes we will have to serve as a hospital for the nation in a great calamity (maybe spiritual and temporal?).  I guess something like that may be possible.  I certainly believe there is strong potential for calamity at an international scale, and crippling at home.  The West, and Mormons in particular, while unprepared in my opinion, may be far more prepared than much of the country.  We could be like Joseph whose wheat program saved not only Egypt but his own family from demise.  Thus beside his show and his conversion story, an important message was his conviction that a Storm is coming, and that the wise will pay attention and do all that they can to prepare for that day.

Is Glenn 2006’s Most Famous Saint?

Glenn Beck may be 2006’s most visible member of the Church among non-members who give him an ear, and his status is rising fast.  I am excited to believe that he could be catalyst for hundreds of thousands of truth-seekers to give a second and third look to the Gospel of Christ, as espoused by the Latter-Day Saints.  Surely this is happening now.  It’s like converting Dr. Laura or the Pope (well, Not so much, as Glenn would say).  People like Glenn have a real following who want to know how to be more like Glenn.

The nation is full of people, generally conservative and God-fearing in nature, who are “seeking for truth and no not where to find it”.  They hone in on conservative talk radio as something that seems to be trying to cut through the spin and political correctness of secular America, and just tell it like it is.  Glenn does not shy away from his religion, though I believe wisely he does not direct attention to it on his show.  He is telling people the common-sense of our church (food storage, value of family, emphasis on Christ, etc), but like a teenage girl who wants to ensure a meaningful relationship, he leads them on but won’t give his audience that all important good-night kiss (i.e. they stay curious for longer because he leaves them wanting the answer.  They ultimately have to ask around or research for themselves, “I sure like that guy and he seems to have gained a lot from his religion.  I’d better Google out what he belongs to”).

He’s virtually given away the secret with all his reference to Salt Lake on his show, but I hope he’ll back down a bit and just note true doctrine that resonates with people enough that they remain curious to dig out where this stuff is coming from.  If you tell them the answer (LDS), their curiosity is satisfied.

At least until the missionaries knock at which point I’m convinced that untold thousands who previously wouldnt take time, or even held prejudices against Latter-Day Saints, will now keep the door open a bit longer.  I think he’ll be a real bridge to Evangelicals, and to the hip 20-somethings.  “Glenn Beck’s in your church isnt he.  Yeah, hes always talking about how much his religion means to him.  He seems so normal in an abnormal way, and he’s spot-on in so many things.  How did he get conned into joining up with you guys?”  I think that conversation will be repeated thousands of times, and many will look seriously, where before they thought we were all just plastic freaks with beliefs so strange on the surface that it isn’t worth a truly open inquiry.

Hooray for you, Brother Beck!  May you continue to have courage to stand out as an honest truth seeker.  You are on the Lord’s errand, and you’re surely catching the Devil’s attention.  May the Lord give you strength and place words in your mouth (and stop you from putting your foot in your mouth).  May He bless and protect you and your family when the Devil tries to mock, ridicule, and silence you.

Your story reminds me of the apostle Paul.  He was a “non-member” who persecuted the Christians, but he was also a truth seeker who mistakenly believed the Christians had it wrong.  When Christ stalked him out, he felt so powerfully redeemed that he never lost energy in preaching the good news among the nations.  His story, conviction, and articulation of the gospel moved thousands to a position they could be fed to lions before they would be moved away from the Rock.  Second only to Christ, he is responsible for Christianity thriving clear up unto our times with more than a billion who believe Christ is the Redeemer.

Where many great Latter-Day Saints have “let their candle so shine before men” with the Good News of the Restoration, you Brother Beck are positioned in a light-house with a multi-million candle power spotlight.  Keep warning the world of the Devil’s rocks, and light the way to the Tree. Your history, talents, and job are helping you relate with millions who would otherwise just mock and scorn the rest of us Plastic People.  In the Lord’s toolbox, He has enough screwdrivers (short hair, Kool-Aid, Utah RMs).  He really needs a good power saw, and tag, you’re it!

I just pray the Lord will protect you from those who prefer darkness over light, so that your light can shine bright for a long, long time.

• The War in Heaven was Compulsion vs. Freedom.  This is the essence of virtually all wars even today.
• Culture Wars: How do political philosophies rank in God’s eyes?
• World War III: Is there potential to see millions rally behind Islamic Fascism for a force as ugly as Hitler’s Germany within the next few decades? 

The essence of the evil behind all wars
The forces of good and evil are always engaged for the minds and souls of men, and occasionally face off in battles that take many mortal lives. Such spilling of blood may be the hottest manifestation of The Great War that raged in the Heavens and has at best only paused for brief moments in small pockets since Adam.

The essence of The Great War, and the reason there is a War, is the desire of many to exercise power and domination over others - and the desire of many others to be dominated, or “protected” from the consequences of their actions.  Still others fear to stand up against those who would dominate. 

Perhaps more than anything else, this describes “evil”.  Lucifer, the father of all lies, proposed his own alternative to God’s plan of salvation that included freedom to choose, which by definition included a risk of failure to choose as necessary to be saved.  He proposed a world in which we would be required to choose only his definition of “good”, and hence we would all be saved.  Advocating the opposite of God’s desire was to in effect set himself above God and to declare war on God and His supporters.

Evil should not be appeased, and occasionally cannot be contained
Many would have us believe that debates, philosophies, cultures, governments, and even wars do not have a right side and wrong side - and that all we need to do is strive to understand and respect the other’s point of view, and not engage them in war, and war will go away.  This is to miss the point - that many pursue evil until it defines their lives, they gain hold of nations through false propaganda and promises, and will aggressively seek to expand their domination and hatred  Such evil may shake hands with diplomats at times as a means of buying with the appeasers via a false sense of security while they gain strength.

When we see evidence that evil has progressed to the point of aggression beyond its borders, peace loving people are foolish to ignore it.  This doesn’t necessarily mean we must jump right to the Marines, but we must “engage the enemy” at some level.  This could mean attempting to educate, or better “teach truth”, to the masses in nations subject to propaganda and “traditions of their fathers”. Education on all levels (secular and spiritual) has a miraculous way of enlightening the soul to the value of allowing all men to think as they will and act according to righteous laws in a free society.  However, some nations become so dangerous and bloodthirsty that such is not practical.  Economic sanctions may be appropriate at times, but there is “a time for war” as expressed in Ecclesiastes - and if that time is delayed through appeasement or denial, the war will be all the more difficult when finally resolved to.

Desire of others to dominate has been involved in all American Wars
The evil desire to dominate over others has taken many forms in wars since our founding.  The Revolution emerged as it became apparent that England did not consider citizens of her colonies equal to citizens in Brittan, and attempted to exercise dominion over them without their represented voice.  The Civil War had slavery as its root cause. This extreme form of domination created a people callused to this wickedness and economically dependent on maintaining it.  The World Wars were instigated by plan to bring a false peace to the world by forcibly removing anyone who did not conform to predetermined classes. The Cold War and its hot spots (Korea, Vietnam) were an attempt to force everyone into the communist utopia.

“Culture Wars”
Today there is a “culture war” in America with liberals against conservatives; and “clash of civilizations” with radical Islam against everyone.  Both are growing like cancer, and the patient is either unaware of the seriousness of the problem, or in denial regarding appropriate method for treatment. Here is my attempt to map out major political movements on something like a time line, and underscored them with the major theme of the War in Heaven (Force vs. Free Will).  There are probably hundreds of philosophies with followings on earth, but I put those that seem most relevant to Americans and Latter Day Saints in 2006, as that is what I’m aware of and have an opinion on.  Other’s may disagree, but it seems hard to arrange them in another order if they are to judged as to the level to which they support force vs. free will. 
On Lucifer’s “force” side are things as harsh as breaking down doors looking for infidels and Jews to things as simple as today’s mandated plethora of programs and taxes for a host of things which were formerly left to charities or personal responsibility.   On Christ’s “freedom” side, there are Republicans who sense right from wrong, want personal responsibility, yet still vote to compel their neighbors to choose the right. 

Then there are Libertarians who hold liberty as their primary value above all else, (but with the “big stick” approach of tort law and swift, strict punishment for imposing on other’s rights).  This is the American political party I believe most Saints would most closely align with if they fully understood it (but may still not vote for it in view of sensing a need to side with a competitive party). I place the strongest form of Church government that has yet been introduced, the United Order, next. I suppose if men could practice it the way Joseph Smith and Brigham Young organized it, it would be demonstrated as incredibly beneficial.  The theory is not unlike Communism, but it stands in stark contrast being a fundamentally religious exercise of faith, and 100% voluntary.

Last I hold whatever Christ will organize in the millennium as “the best government of mortals”.  Christ “stands at the door”, and attempts to persuade us to voluntarily open up to Him.  Satan on the other end would use a pitchfork and armies to force some not to smoke at the park and others into the gas chamber.

I place Democrats and Republicans near the middle.  Neither side is absolutely right and not even close.  I believe the Republicans are closer correctly identifying God’s will for us, but they are pretty far away nonetheless. I think so many LDS support them because they sense they are on the right side of the line.  The two parties are so large, that people believe them to be the only games in town.  So many mistakenly believe the Republicans are “right” at least most of the time.  I would say they are just typically more right than the other major power. Even those who know Republicans leave a lot to be desired, and may knowingly identify more with Libertarians, they vote Republican anyway out of a recognition they are the only viable power on the righteous side of the line 

Is a Libertarian vote really wasted?

I do not believe a vote for Libertarians is necessarily wasted.  Yes, it does risk that the democrats will take more power.  However, this is temporary as many begin to realize the disaster it brings on, and sometimes we have to swallow a bitter pill to shake politicians into standing up for America the way it used to be!  If Republicans would get a backbone and do good things that Americans know in their hearts are right (like balancing budgets, setting term limits, reducing government bureaucracy, and making more freedom and less regulation, etc.) they would be extremely popular.  They will figure this out if they lose more votes to the Party that stands up for these things.

It may take a decade, two, or more; but the stage is being set for a World War.
The Father of all Lies is setting the perfect stage for another world war.  Extreme ends of cultures are polarizing even those in the middle.  One angle is America, where political correctness and corruptness has extinguished Statesmanship and the ability to “call a spade a spade”.  America still has a good heart, but is wrestling intensely with the subtle craftiness of politicians, activists, and media who would have us believe that outside dangers are minimal, and that there are no dangers in our departure from traditional values.  To the contrary, such “diversity” (i.e., all philosophies except Christian and conservatism are equal, and “choose your favorite sin”) is supposedly where we get our great strength.

Another angle is Europe with a long tradition of socialism, political correctness, and placation.  Theirs has become a degenerate and Godless society, intensely jealous of American success, and shedding crocodile tears at American failure. Though they share this common bond with the Arab Middle-East, they are not loved by the Arabs.

Lies and misconceptions bred up in Islamic Nations
Lastly there are the Islamic Nations.  Where the Arabs once enjoyed status among the most enlightened of peoples during Europe’s dark ages, they lost that status and I’m not informed enough to say why.  Clearly they have been living under totalitarian regimes for a long time, which are not known for their ability to promote freedom of any sort, but especially the sort most likely to allow their populace to secure freedom and to see clearly that they need not hate others different than themselves (freedom of arms, religion, speech, press).

So hundreds of millions suffer from “hate the Jews” syndrome that has no basis in logic. Likewise, Satan is quite successful at pointing out to them what American culture’s weaknesses are, and then twisting it into “crimes” that we supposedly perpetrate on them and a commitment to forcibly right said wrongs.  There are many good people who see through the haze and are angry that so much evil is committed in the name of a religion that has brought them value.  Yet for whatever reason they seem more concerned that we not point our fingers at them than they are concerned about getting involved in reclaiming their hijacked religion.

So what of the average Muslim?
The average non-Middle Eastern Muslim probably has comparatively little against the West or Jews.  The average Middle Eastern Muslim on the other hand does.  It is hard to blame the average citizen in the core Arab nations.  They grow since babies with a limited, one-sided perspective and accept the fiction as fact because real facts never make it through.  Still, if the average citizen can be mobilized by forces of evil to militant “jihad” against us, then we need to try to dispatch that average citizen to the Spirit World where they can be taught the truth in a more conducive setting.

I find it important to remember that all born to the earth were part of the two-thirds who sided with Christ.  We don’t know the level to which they sided with Christ, and whether our earthly experience may in part be a function of our varied degrees of commitment.  I’ve often wondered if the transition from the 1st estate to the 2nd didn’t have a “judgment” of some sort similar to the final judgment.  Were we given “telestial, terrestrial, and celestial” style rewards for our valiance or lack thereof?  Maybe.

So if all were on Christ’s side, then we must conclude that many fight against good unwittingly because they are fed a constant diet of false traditions.  Opportunities to hear the word and gain true education may make headway.  But the liars among them are powerful and are rallying them to “fight the Nephites”.  Those seeking power and dominion among them would have them believe that the religion that has held goodness and stability for them also requires them to hate us - often to the point where they are willing to sneak in among innocents and risk their lives to murder.

This movement is gaining steam among millions.  The danger is different than in other massive, threatening wars.  In the world wars, the enemy did not have such strong religious conviction, and was easily identified. The Cold War was a few people with the ability to kill millions.  The next Great War could be millions willing to each kill a few.

“Collateral Damage” is necessary when removing cancer
Our media is one of our greatest blessings and greatest curses at the same time.  Wonderful it is to know what’s going on, sad it is to see how they sensationalize insignificant losses and paralyze us from taking any action just because it is likely we’ll make some mistakes - which paralysis is the greatest mistake of all!

Insignificant losses?  Not really.  But I mean losses that cannot be fairly compared against the gains.  American wars have cost tremendous blood.  I understand the Revolution killed 25,000 of 2,500,000 on the continent.  This 1% applied today would be 3 million of the 300 million!  The Civil war took half a million.  The world wars took more than a hundred thousand each, and Vietnam took 53,000 - about the same as the 3-day battle of Gettysburg.  And what of Iraq?  2,500 so far - the smallest loss of live ever!  And what of civilian casualties?  Cancer embeds among healthy cells, some of which must be cut away if the whole body is to live! Mastectomies (carpet bombing) is rarely required anymore, thank Heaven, but we cannot let the fact that a few of our soldiers and innocents will die keep us from hunting down those who are at war with us.  If we do, we only allow them to kill more of their own, and rally larger forces against us.  We just delay the day of reckoning.

America is right to be serious
Bush was right to do something significant.  Other politicians would have second guessed and over analyzed to the point of doing what we do best - slapping wrists and opening “diplomatic dialog” with terrorists who only laugh to see what a paper tiger we really are.  Of course we can all see that when we stepped out into the unknown, we had some learning to do. Was it wrong?  I don’t think so.  No WMD’s of significance I guess, but think back to those days and we all knew it was possible.  Were they fighting against us?  Yes.  They were declared enemies and sought out ways to support those who would attack us, even if only as a cheerleader. Are the people better off?  Hard to know, but at least things are moving over there.  It may look to be moving negative, but it could easily prove to be positive.  “Darkest right before dawn”.  If we can trade a few thousand soldiers and civilians for what would otherwise result in much larger battles down the road, it is positive even if the media parades every coffin on TV.

Can you say “N-U-K-E-S”?  There is a push to get them, and technology, black markets, and tremendous oil wealth will likely see first rate, intelligent suicide bombers show up in our lifetimes potentially with a suitcase nuke, but surely something that can take hundreds or thousands for the price of one.  To say they are not attacking is to have your head in the sand.  Nations may not be attacking in a traditional way, but through wealth, support, and cover, loony toons will increase their destructive ability, and it could happen as a complete sneak attack.

Potential rise of someone more influential and devastating than Hitler
Imagine for a moment you are very charismatic, very intelligent, completely evil, and living in a time of tremendous ability to kill.  Hitler did happen you know! 

Now add to Hitler doctrines that gain perhaps hundreds of thousands of followers - maybe even millions -  with suicidal religious zeal (even hard-to-profile, native-born American followers).  Add also tremendous wealth, ability to kill a thousand fold greater at ever more affordability and availability, and an organization able to operate in the shadows across borders where the USA cannot easily point to who did it.

I plan freeways and trains for a living.  The larger the project, the more willing one must be to take extra time and care to get it right, but it is satisfying work because you know the payoff will be big.  One of Hitler’s fatal moves was to break neutrality with Russia and fight two fronts (greed).  So lastly, add patience.  To sneak massively destructive weapons in among us may require recruiting and securing people with high IQ’s and American complexions to lead secretive cells very skilled at staying under the radar.  They would work for perhaps decades determining how to deliver the weapon undetected, and may even be patient enough to wait for the invention of things that hardly exist yet such as “suitcase nukes”.

We cannot hope they will change - they won’t! We cannot delay - it will mean we hand our children a struggle for their lives because we wanted to get a few more peaceful ski vacations in if we could.
My beliefs on the outcome. 
We won’t collectively see the vision early enough to avoid significant pain, but I’m optimistic that once stronger-than-today-pain is evident, we may quit tip toeing around collateral damage and do what we must to search and destroy.  For after all, it is not us killing innocents as liberals and media would have you believe.  It is Islamofacists rejoicing that innocents will unavoidably be killed and we’ll get the bad press.  The solution when things get bad enough may not be all that different than raining bombs on Germany.  We may just have to pound terrorists a lot harder than we do today, with the collateral damage to governments and civilians so severe that they work much harder to reveal and kill the terrorists in order to save their own butts.  It cannot be done however, without first experiencing great loss on our side, because the media and public would simply not go there unless we had been brought to our knees.  It would take World War Three.

What is World War Three? 
For all of my life WW III was assumed to be the war between the USSR and USA that had potential to annihilate all human beings.  The last 20 years shows that to be unlikely anytime soon.  Another assumption is that each World War would be bigger and more horrific than the previous, so people don’t want to believe that this silly little terrorist thing qualifies.  I would say it remains to be seen just how “little” this really is.  To earn the title of “World War” it needs to be a big deal war - not just a bunch of small-scale actions across the globe - but it doesn’t need to be more colossal than the last war in terms of lives taken.

We can all look back with 20/20 vision at Hitler’s rise. He was gaining momentum for more than 10 years before he finally initiated the war, and all the while people were in denial.  Are we now poised for another war?  How big could it be?  When would it be so large as to be undeniable as a World War?  Consider the following:

Successful major strikes by Radical Islam:  It is no secret that Middle-Eastern propaganda has turned the hearts of the commoner against the west and even more so against Israel.  It is one thing to “not like us”, and quite another to be motivated to take up arms - especially when you believe your enemy is invincible.  But those committed few such as Osama Bin Laden have demonstrated for the world that America is not invincible, and that she is in fact the “Paper Tiger” that has been claimed.  Even with the strongest Texas Cowboy President we could have had, President Bush has of late been lambasted for taking a strong stand, and so it must appear to the terrorists that they will achieve their goal of turning away public opinion so that we retreat.  This is all they need to achieve heroic status with the commoner. 
The Tiger’s tender bleeding heart:  Media intent on instant coverage of the bleeding boy with a teddy bear in the midst of rubble makes it impossible to gain public support to do what must be done while it is still early enough to be just a few children instead of a few thousand or hundred thousand.  Americans will put off fighting seriously until they feel far more threatened.  The terrorists know this.

“Michael Jordan’s of Jihad”:  As the preachers of jihad are shown to have more ability to “scare the Tiger”, without suffering much for consequences, they will achieve near god-like status among many. Instead of thousands who are now willing to hunt for ways to strike, it could easily turn into hundreds of thousands and then millions.

Islam is everywhere:  This is not contained to Middle East sticks and stones.  If only say 10% of Muslims across the globe can be radicalized and begin searching for ways to strike, it is not necessary for Middle-Easterners to leave their borders. 

Religious fervor:  Hitler had a committed following, but this is a sight to behold.  Potentially millions of converts yet to be made - ready as “suicide bombers” at any moment.  However, they will likely learn that this is an inefficient use of their zombies, and the smart ones among them will be studying ways to do more damage for less.

Oil.  Danged if we do, danged if we don’t:  This scares me as I see problems either way.  Our economy is too dependent on our enemies.  My dad has said “we’d go to war over oil”.  I didn’t believe him at first because it seems such a trivial thing.  However, if nations were hijacked by terrorists, or if they deny us of their own will, it could tumble us into a major depression.  “So break the addiction” by pumping our own, sharply raising fuel taxes to encourage conservation and spur incentive to develop other means (though DO NOT raise this tax without lowering some other by the same or more!).  I support pumping, taxing, and investing all as means of breaking free from enriching our enemies (but I don’t want to see us pump more without also setting a “man on the moon” initiative to develop alternative fuel sources).

However, I am concerned that if we actually succeeded in turning off the flow of money, the Middle East could melt down even faster, as the commoners would then be in big trouble and they’d point to us as the reason.  If I have to choose, I say bring it on sooner rather than later.  If we have cancer, of course we wish it would just go away, and of course we do not want to swallow the bitter chemotherapy pill, but we all know that “herbs in Mexico” don’t work as advertised, and every day we wait is all the more strength our enemy has to kill us.

• Why is it that a prerequisite for acceptance as an intellectual is to conclude that belief in God is silly?
• Why is it important to address each new claim refuting God?
  The most important truths are hard to discover by science alone.
• Mitochondrial DNA: Are Native Americans Israelites or not?

One of the great troubles of our times is the seemingly infallible wisdom of men. Apparently a prerequisite for induction into the Sigma Lambda Rho fraternity (science, logic, rational deduction) is to first use these tools to demonstrate conclusively that there is no God.

True observations are not always accompanied by true explanations
Supposed wise men - the truly learned intellectuals of our time - roam the earth turning over stones, observing what can be seen, and reporting to us all on what their process of research and intellectual inquiry has produced.  Occasionally this process turns up something that appears to challenge or debunk long held religious beliefs.  There is nothing wrong with honest inquiry into any subject.  Truth and light have nothing to hide.  Men fail when they draw conclusions too quickly based on sketchy evidence, scientific leaps of faith, or without full consideration of what are often a myriad of potential explanations for the observations.  As often as not such conclusions are not definitive from the discoverer’s point of view as much as by those with an agenda who simply use new observations to build a house-of-cards claim.  (Example, many who have measured global warming are not ready to concede that man is the sole or even the major cause, but Al Gore types use their research for scare mongering to help gain power).

Average thinkers are closed to many potential explanations - thinking after a handful of sound bites that they know it all
Many fancy themselves learned or with a gifted intellect, and seek to be informed of the happenings of our times so as to participate in the great debates from the sidelines either as fans or biased commentators of the “SLR Brotherhood”.  The Brotherhood and fans long ago concluded that all things are simply mechanical and we are nothing more than lucky byproducts of random evolution, which itself was made possible from a most simple life form.  The lucky life form is said to be a lucky byproduct of a lucky lightning strike in premordial sludge, which sludge was present from a luckier Big Bang. 

The fans are most often left-leaning, and since it is common knowledge that the majority of individuals in the media are observably left when they gather at water coolers, the commentators also subtly highlight news that supports the Brotherhood (or points a mocking, scornful finger at those who question the Brotherhood).

The fans trust in their team of scientists, philosophers, and great thinkers to a fault.  Fan knowledge of massively complex subjects comes in sound bites, and they assemble a bite here and a bite there to proudly proclaim their own infallible, obviously factual conclusions which they hope will convince other “average Joe’s” like themselves that they are not really an average Joe at all. They would have us believe they are capable of the intellectual rigor of an active member of Sigma Lambda Rho, but they have simply chosen to apply their intellect to report on the happenings of SLR rather than be in SLR.

The highest thinkers recognize how little they really know
Let me insert that I believe the highest order of the Science, Logic, and Rational deduction fraternity would not jump to conclusions that there is no God.  In other words, they would have learned enough to not trust their own conclusions on observations.  They would know there may be many potential, rational explanations.  Einstein demonstrated he was of the highest order when he said, “The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know.”  However, many and maybe most of the great thinkers of modern ages, while they remain open to alternative mechanical explanations, are generally closed since childhood to explanations that seem mystical or would involve a God, since such seems more like a convenient excuse for the presently unexplainable.  Why does explaining the previously unexplainable somehow equate with discrediting God?  It may discredit previous understandings of God, but that does not require that God could not know of or make use of the newly discovered insight.

(I contend in another essay that God Himself, with all His seemingly magical powers, in fact operates by means which are mechanically and mathematically explainable.  We incrementally discover those means all the time, but have only an infinite fraction of what we would need to know to truly comprehend science as known to and harnessed by God.  The little I understand of string theory makes me think it could be the “giant leap forward” in helping us comprehend some of the science God may know and use).

I talk as if I am a member of the Sigma Lambda Rho debate team mocking the wanna-be’s and even chastising my fellow members.  In truth, I am an average Joe, and my resume would confirm to anyone in “The Brotherhood” that I’m just a comentator myself.  I am no doubt so, as the nature of my profession in civil engineering allows little time for pursuits that could attract the attention of such elites.  However, as a sideliner watching the spectacle, I can see how the debate works.

The most important truths are hard to discover by scientific approaches alone
Fortunately for this average Joe, my life’s experience has helped me discover alternative methods for obtaining light and knowledge, and approaching subjects that embroil the Sherlock’s.  I find myself shouting “Hey, I think I’ve stumbled upon some clues!”, but they’re all too far from where I am to hear, and even if I could do a song and dance long enough to turn their heads, they’d still say, “Now, what are your credentials that I should turn away from such learned men to consider your untrained, juvenile reasoning?”

To be accepted as a serious intellectual, one must first find some reason to doubt God, then mock or discredit believers.
Actually, the “debate” isn’t really a debate at all.  It is more of a quest to find anything to justify conclusions one must reach to be in the brotherhood.  “Look! I found this reason to doubt God!”  “Here is evidence debunking Mormon doctrine!”  The list is never ending.  One may be tempted to frame things as a debate between Sigma Lambda Rho’s “infallibly factual” religious beliefs, and the traditional religious community’s defense of the seemingly indefensible.  I think that is close to right, but in my eyes it’s not a debate where in good sportsmanship they attempt to respectfully share their interpretations of observations and the religious community likewise responds gentlemanly with introspection in an attempt to reconcile what is truly doctrinal against beliefs that are more traditional than doctrinal.  That would be nice and it’s how I try to do things myself. 

I see it not as the respectful “lay the facts on the table and lets see if we can find some answers” that it should be, and more as an attempt at mockery by those who have already concluded that anything which seems on the surface to be magical, superstitious, silly, or “requiring a God” is patently absurd and not worth an ounce of honest, long, benefit of the doubt inquiry.  The only religious inquiry worthy of time is to hunt through religious beliefs and history for sticks and stones they can beat believers with.

Is there any value in rebutting those who mock and will not see?
We in turn are not really responding to them to convince them - it can’t be done by mortals!  They’ve allowed their eyes to become blind and they’ve shut up their ears.  They point and laugh from the Great and Spacious Building.  Those of us at the Tree are trying to pull aside those who are buying into their claims and their scorn.  We wisper,  “Don’t be ashamed at having come to the Tree.  Here are some reasons why they are wrong and it’s worth staying - not the least of which is that their building will fall!” 

Likewise there are hosts of people who are lost or wandering, having not fully determined to seek out the Tree, the Building, or some other way.  Voices calling elsewhere are loud.  Those of us at the Tree also need to be loud enough that the undecided can at least consider that there may be something better at the Tree.  Possibly most at the Building have never strained to see or hear spiritually.  Thus in their mockery I find myself saying “Forgive them, for they know not what they mock.” 

My heart bleeds when I see so many not come to the tree.  I shout in whatever way I can.  I realize that my style of describing the particular fruits I’ve tasted will not appeal to all, but I also know that my style will appeal to some - particularly those whom the Spirit touches through rational argument and explanation, and who are intellectually honest enough with themselves to allow for the possibility of a God and to give half a chance to all the other connected possibilities.

Example of research that seems to challenge LDS doctrine: mitochondrial DNA
Here is a recent example of excellent research coming from the Science, Logic, and Rational Deduction fraternity.  Apparently they’ve studied mitochondrial DNA of Native Americans and determined that this DNA is not linked to the Israelites.  Others then pick this up and use it as “irrefutable proof” that the Book of Mormon is a fabrication. 

What does it mean when scientific observations challenge a doctrine or long held assumption?  Obviously it is quite fine to conduct legitimate research, and attempt to draw conclusions.  In this case, naysayer’s are quick to condemn Joseph Smith as a false prophet, and Saints would do well to consider various angles of the new research.
What is mitochondrial DNA?  Is there a chance the research is flawed, or that conclusions drawn from observations are flawed?  How many reasonable explanations could lead to the observations?  Is there a chance of potential explanations that are compatible with what is accepted as scriptural?

As I understand this DNA, it is a link back to “your mother’s, mother’s, mother” on back with seemingly no end.  We hear the word “DNA” and want to automatically conclude that it is flawless.  Let me just say it is one thing to have a guy’s hair at a crime scene, and then link that hair later to a living individual via DNA; but it is entirely something else to think you can use DNA to determine conclusively who married who over the last 2,600 years! 

Potential Explanations
Other LDS apologists and scientists have far more knowledge on this than I do, but there are many potential explanations:
1. Maybe Lehi’s wife was adopted into the house of Israel?  He knew Egyptian.  Could be he met Sariah in Egypt - and could be she was not a pure Isrealite.
2. I’ve heard recently that you don’t even have to go back very many years to determine that practically everyone has numerous ancestors in common.  Could be the gene pool is getting fairly well mixed, and such a trace is too diluted to be reliable.
3. The Book of Mormon is a record of one group of people in America, but does not preclude the possibility that others were here.  These are BIG continents, after all, and with travel by foot it is possible that hundreds of years could pass without groups crossing paths.  It is possible that after the Nephites were destroyed, that a cosmopolitan society emerged and perhaps the Israelite Central Americans mixed with larger populations of non-Israelite North or South Americans.
4. The Prophet was also a man without omniscient, perfect knowledge.  When he spoke in the Name of the Lord he made it quite evident.  In day to day living there were surely many things he did not know perfectly and probably speculated on as we all do.  Maybe there were truths that had been revealed to him, but he unwittingly extrapolated other conclusions that seemed to be obvious extensions of what had been revealed when in fact the truth was not so obvious.  For example, God said Native Americans were descendants of Israelites.  The Prophet may have inadvertently assumed this meant 100% of their ancestors were Israelite and never delved much further.  However, perhaps you could say that if only 10% of ancestors were Israelites, that it is still true to say they are descendents of Israel.
5. It is possible that the research method is flawed in some way, or could be open to alternative explanations.

Ok, this is enough to demonstrate that DNA, which can rightfully condemn a man to die, is not sufficient in this case to condemn the Book of Mormon.  I’m sure many will scoff at my obvious lack of knowledge in this area and condemn nonetheless.

We know that many doctrines and philosophies will be put forth in our times that “will deceive the very elect”.  I am confident that there will yet be many discoveries or accusations that will be very difficult to explain or reconcile.  But I am also very confident that my faith is well placed.  I believe that my own journey of spiritual discoveries, which includes temporal research into the amazing story of the Latter Day Saint doctrine and history, are simply to weighty to toss out on a handful of claims that rest on less than solid foundations.

In many ways even the most knowledgable among us still wander as lost sheep.   That “smartest person” can only know a fraction, perhaps .001%, of the accumulated knowledge of the 6.5 billion now living, combined with the knowledge of billions who have past.  And even with all we’ve ever learned, there is an infinite amount that we as mortals can never know. 

Moses, as a prince of Egypt, had reason to believe that man was truly something.  After being privilaged to see in vision the works and knowledge of God, he responded, “Now I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed”. 

Perhaps rather than using the mockery of God by the SLR brotherhood and their fans as an excuse to endulge in “eating, drinking, and being merry for tomorrow we die”, we should instead have faith that true earthly and eternal happiness comes from trusting the Prophets.  Perhaps we should ask the Lord to “forgive us, for we know not how much we do not know”.