The War in Heaven

This set the stage for the War in Heaven (another essay). Basically, Lucifer in a quest for power lied to us all and convinced many that there was another way for us to get what God had (knowledge and proven respect of the elements), but without having to pass through the trials that are what bring knowledge and respect. Many wanted to believe in this easy way, but most recognized that Freedom and Liberty were Real, and yearned for a chance to make their own way, to learn and grow. To have a shot at saying “I did it!”; and in the same breath to risk the possibility of having to report “I didn’t do it”, but either way to have ownership of the outcome.

The Veil makes for a perfect proving ground

So we find ourselves on Earth with a perfectly thick “veil” drawn between our last existence and this. So much so that it is very simple to get caught up in this place and to forget or never know that we have a high calling – that the things we do and experience we gain is all aimed at a larger purpose beyond this fleeting existence. The veil is intentional. We may seek for signs, but God will not reveal His hiding place to the world so cavalierly. He will not allow “proof” in a “captured on CNN” way (not at the moment, anyway).  He will provide spiritual proof, and support to reinforce your faith, but we typically must first exercise real faith (really desire to believe for good reasons, rather than claiming you’ll cease mocking believers if God will put on a magic show).

The “magic” is out there. I’ve felt it, and I’ve seen in hind sight the unfolding of events in my life that were just too Powerball Lottery odd’s to have been coincidental. Further, the events were accompanied with a sixth-sense communication of spirit to spirit that confirms for me it wasn’t just crazy luck or naturally occurring chemicals that affect your senses or psyche. Even further, the continuation of small things seemingly from the other side builds a mountain of evidence in my life that to deny would be like staring at the Sun and claiming it is dark. But personal miracles or communication is in fact personal, and when you tell it, it makes a nice story for other people and may build their faith, but no one will ever be moved like you are.

It’s like your mom putting a hidden camera in your dorm room at college to see what you’ll do when she’s not around, but it’s even bigger than that since in this case you can’t even remember you ever had a mom or a life before college! But truly everything we do is known and recorded. It’s like Candid Camera. We can do our hidden works seemingly in complete anonymity, but we are really playing to a Super-Bowl audience. This side of the veil looks so real sometimes, but is it Real? Some charge forward convinced this is all there is and all there ever will be, and mock and scorn any who believe “God is watching”.

Though the list is much longer, I know at least these things are Real:

Family; love in the family; pure love between husband and wife; gratitude; concern for the well being of others; Christ’s suffering; Christ’s forgiveness; God’s children and our duties concerning them; Priesthood; Courage; a noble heart; compassion for others; Faith in a reality beyond our plastic world, and effort to learn what is required to obtain that better reality; the talents we were given and what we do with them is Real; the Great I AM is Real; the lesser or developing I ams are Real;

Evil is also Real, and it is allowed to exist to challenge our minds, hearts, and souls with the invaluable experience that is so critical for us to become like God as we succumb to it and are pained to repent, or as we fight against it. The fight against evil is Real and never-ending during our lives. The War of Heaven rages on here in the earth. It is a war for the hearts and minds of God’s children, and it occasionally boils beyond just philosophical camps to actual wars that require the brave to take up guns and forcibly send those on the wrong side of the fight (even if propaganda and lies has fooled them into thinking they’re right) on to Spirit Prison where they can hopefully learn and repent.

The world’s two “Churches” are Real

Any war by definition has only two sides even if there are various nations involved and committed by different degrees. It’s like a football game, with the coaches and starters on one extreme and the fans on the other. Even the fans participate on one side or the other. People that claim neutrality – who won’t even come to the game – have in Reality chosen to enable evil by withholding their support of the righteous. If you’re not for the Right, you’re against the Right. “So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

The camp we end up in IS Real. Nephi’s vision reveals there are but two camps, or “churches”. The two churches are themselves arrayed in different costumes, in different places, and at different times. It is too narrow an interpretation to assume that the “church of the devil” was the Popes who sold forgiveness, and engaged in all kinds of wickedness. It is likewise to narrow to conclude that the Church of Christ is just a handful of Mormons for 3 hours on a Sunday (and ten meetings and get togethers in between). The camps are all encompassing – like Shiz and Coriantomer at the last battles of the Jaradites where they gathered in all people to one side or the other.

The “churches” are all encompassing umbrellas that sort the righteous of the world from the wicked. From within each nation will emerge many who will be saved in the Kingdom of God, even if few from their nation find the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” in the second estate. Their lives reveal that they support righteousness inasmuch as they can find it, and are hence classed in the Church of God (it just becomes “official” later). Within the churches are subcategories for politics, professions, philosophies, economics, and even religion, etc. The righteous may not actually be much engaged in organized religion, but it does not mean they are outside God’s Church. I view being classed as “among the righteous”, not as a function of whether you were born to a life that had Mormonism in it somewhere, or any traditional religion at all. It’s not even a prerequisite to know many truths. It is very easy to be fed a stream of lies, propaganda, or just not know the answers, and still be counted righteous. We are not accountable for what we do not know.

Saul unwittingly participated in the martyrdom of Stephen and thought he was doing the right thing for God! For this, God did not hold it against him, but instead led him to the light where he became the greatest missionary of all time. Today, while most terrorists are truly evil, there may be a handful of souls who can be convinced they really are doing God’s will, and God will be more apt to forgive them when they blow themselves up and He’s able to teach them. (I’m actually not totally sure on that one, because I think your soul has to wallow in a lot of obvious evil to kill mother’s, kids, and yourself in a supermarket).

It is “What did you do with what you knew? Where was your heart? Do you accept truth when you recognize it? Do you have essentially more good marks than bad marks?”

Democrats and Republicans as Factions within the Churches

The camps are manifest in politics as “liberal vs. conservative” generally, with conservative I believe as the more righteous side. This is not to say that in our American understanding, positions that win support of the Democrats are in every case aligned with evil (in that the devil would not argue with them), and likewise that positions that win support of Republicans are in every case something that Christ Himself would support – in fact often I believe Republican positions and rhetoric are very against what Christ would do if He were in charge of the secular government (which is not to say the Democrat position is better).

Sometimes it really is the lesser of two evils. Thus on a hundred random positions, and if God were making the marks, I think Democrats would wind up fighting against God often and for God on rare occasion. Republicans would be just the opposite. This does not mean the camps are homogenous. There may even be minor third parties that would get higher marks from God than the Republicans. Such would still tend to be conservative, but maybe also more oriented toward personal responsibility, freedom, fiscal responsibility, and promoting voluntary charity (by removing government mandated charity) than the Republicans have been lately. Clearly what I’m stating is my own opinion. The church’s stance is neutral. Many LDS democrats would beg to differ.

Excellent people destined for the Celestial Kingdom, Mormons and non-Mormons alike, are found as great supporters of the Democrats, in part because they see historic positions on what is meant to be “caring for the needy” – a Christian value. This is not wrong, but the wrong comes from following the thread to the end of the line where we can see that government is an ineffective vehicle for accomplishing this, and essentially boils down to Satan’s plan, which is to coerce everyone into doing the right thing (via taxes, rules, etc.), when freedom to choose the right (via charity), is more effective and more rewarding for all involved. Democrats would say “It’s not more effective. We can’t trust that people will give voluntarily”. To me this shows a lack of faith in the essential goodness of people. Americans would never let other Americans starve or suffer as long as they have the means to do anything about it! That they see “a different dolphin” does not mean they are evil, and it could mean we should take time to see if their dolphin couldn’t teach us a thing or two also.

What we do with what we have is Real. Direction towards God or away from God is Real, present position on the scale of earthly blessings is less real. Job lived a very real life (small r.  Physically he had it as good and as bad as anyone), but inside he was Very Real.  Because his heart was honest, pure, and trusting through good and bad, he gained a VERY REAL life (all good, and beyond this world glorious).