Staying safe in enemy territory

On Sunday, 22 January 2012, President Boyd K. Packer spoke at the Seminary centennial broadcast held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  His theme was how one stays safe in these times of such evil and wickedness.  For this article, The Mormon Eagle will quote President Packer (as found in the Deseret News of Monday 23 January 2012 on page B2), and then will add some inspiration as moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord.

President Packer said, "You are growing up in enemy territory.  When you become mature spiritually, you will understand how the adversary has infiltrated the world around you.  He is in homes, entertainment, the media, language - everything around you.  In most cases, his presence is undetected.  Pornography is just on example."  He spoke of the most desirable and worthwhile things the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can do to stay spiritually strong.

Sensitivity of the Holy Ghost
The Spirit of the Lord is sensitive.  President Packer taught, "You cannot lie or cheat or steal or act immorally and have those [spiritual] channels remain free from disruption.  Do not go where the environment resists spiritual communication.  You can learn to seek the power and direction that is available to you, and then follow that course no matter what."

Let us take President Joseph F. Smith as an example of one whose sensitivity to the Spirit saved him from injury and possibly death.  Once President Smith was riding the train home from the eastern United States.  He was outside on the platform when he heard the Spirit say to him, "Go in and sit down."  He went back into the train, but hesitated a moment, telling himself, "Oh, pshaw, perhaps it is only my imagination."  He then heard the Spirit's voice again say, "Sit down."  Responding without hesitation, President Smith sat down.  No sooner had he done so, when the train's engine and most of the cars lurched from the track.  President Smith, however, was unharmed, although all the rail cars in front of his were smashed up.  President Smith was at this time accompanied by Presiding Bishop Charles W. Nibley, who said the train cars were "jammed up pretty badly."  Concerning the voice of the Spirit, President Smith said, "I have heard that voice a good many times in my life, and I have always profited by obeying it" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, p. 265).

We can also take Nephi as one whose daily living allowed him to heed the promptings of the Spirit.  Concerning the trip to get the Brass Plates from Laban, he said, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do" (1 Nephi 4:6).

Agency and Gender
President Packer said to the youth of the Church,

This matter of gender is of great concern to the Brethren, as are all matters of morality.  A few of you may have felt or been told that you were born with troubling feelings and that you are not guilty if you act on those temptations.  Doctrinally we know that if that were true, your agency would have been erased, and that cannot happen.  You always have a choice to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and live a morally pure and chaste life, one filled with virtue. . . . You have . . . agency.  Use it wisely to deny acting on any impure impulse or unholy temptation that may come into your mind.  The key word is discipline - self discipline.  The word discipline comes from the word disciple or follower.  Be a disciple/follower of the Savior, and you will be safe (emphasis added).

The Mormon Eagle concurs with President Packer.  The evilness of homosexual relations is spreading across the world.  Currently, the issue of so-called gay marriage is making its way through the state of Washington's Legislature.  This is a travesty that the great nation of the United States and the people within it are sanctioning iniquity under the guise of tolerance.

Latter-day Saints should not, must not, and ultimately cannot tolerate wickedness.  We can be friends with the world, but we must stand strong against the Arch-Deceiver's ploy to "call evil good, and good evil" (Is. 5:20).


I know President Packer is an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, a mighty seer as was the Apostle Paul of old.  The Lord speaks to President Packer and all the other living Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ today.  I know if we follow President Packer's counsel, we will be spiritually safe, and that when the world starts destroying itself because of it's sanctioning of evil, the Mormons will be the only people on Earth not at war with anyone.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mormonism and the Christ no. 5 - Christ the Mediator

 On Sunday 8 November 2011, President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke in a Church Educational System fireside about truth, but specifically about the most valuable truths. 

The depths of the wisdom spoken by President Packer shall not be elucidated upon within this post, but I shall quote the Apostle and Prophet as to what the most important truth is.

Jesus Christ as Mediator
The most important truth anyone can ever know is that Jesus Christ lives and is the Savior of the world, the Mediator of all men's sins, and the Advocate with the Father.  President Packer spoke Sunday of how all have fallen into sin, and therefore need a Mediator and Creditor to fully pay the debt justice demands, while also giving mercy its chance.  The Apostolic sage said, "Unless there is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full wieght of justice, untempered and unsympathetic, must, positively must fall on us.  The full penalty for every transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the uttermost farthing.  There is a Mediator, a Redeemer who stands both willing and able to appease the demands of justice and extend mercy to those who are penitent" ("Some truths are 'most worth knowing,' Pres. Packer tells students", Deseret News, Monday 7 November 2011, B3).

The statement above squares with Scripture.  The Savior in 3 Nephi 9:15, 21-22 saith,

Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God.  I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning.  I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. . . . Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.  Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me bas a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God.  Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5 reads, "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."

Thus it is shown, through the words of a true Apostle of the Lord, as well as through modern revelation, that Christ is indeed the Savior and Redeemer of the World, and our Mediator if we repent.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Rightness of Governor Rick Perry

In yesterday's Atlanta Jounral-Constitution, Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry is reported to have signed a pact against gay marriage, a pact he says he will uphold if he is elected President of the United States in 2012.  He states, "Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me.  My stance hasn't changed.  Ii believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Saturday 27 August 2011, A3).

Well has Governor Perry spoken, echoing the words of President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve:  

History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot. To legalize that which is basically wrong or evil will not prevent the pain and penalties that will follow as surely as night follows day.

Regardless of the opposition, we are determined to stay on course. We will hold to the principles and laws and ordinances of the gospel. If they are misunderstood either innocently or willfully, so be it. We cannot change; we will not change the moral standard. We quickly lose our way when we disobey the laws of God. If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish ("Cleansing the Inner Vessel", October 2010 Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

The Mormon Eagle commends the moral courage of Governor Perry, and hopes that more men and women of faith will follow suite, for heterosexual marriage is right and proper in the eyes of God.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Magnet of Mormonism

President Boyd K. Packer has stated, "Some suppose that our high standards will repel growth.  It is just the opposite.  High standards are a magnet" ("A Defense and a Refuge", Ensign, November 2006, p. 85-88).  It is amazing, this power that Mormonism has.

I have recently started working at Maverick, a gas station a little ways away from my apartment.  All those I have worked with so far know I am a Mormon, and seem to respect me for it.  The reason why, however, humbles me: it is because of the high standards of the Latter-day Saints. 

True Mormons are those clean-shaven, white-shirted missionaries seen on the streets of the great cities and tiny hamlets of the world.  True Mormons are those who do not partake of coffee, tea, or any alcohol whatsoever.  True Mormons, above all, revier and reverence the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.  This is the magnet known as Mormonism.  Some how, these standards attract people; it is becaues of the Holy Ghost - that light that is only found within staunch members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Still, the question remains, what, according to the Lord, attracts people to Mormonism?  President Boyd K. Packer states, "The standard, established by revelation, is contained in the scriptures through the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The principles of the gospel life we follow are based on doctrine, and the standards accord with the principles.  We are bound to the standards by covenant, as administered through the ordinances of the gospel by those who have received priesthood and the keys of authority" (Ibid.).  The Lord has stated, "And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the Gospel" (D&C 42:12).  Mormon taught, "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God" (Alma 31:5).  It is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as found in the Scriptures - both ancient and modern - that attracts people to Mormonism, whether they know it or not. 

Let us, then, as Latter-day Saints, give heed to the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, "be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12).  The Lord will be pleased if we do this, by simply preaching His Gospel by the way we live.  I know this is so.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

A Lie About Human Nature

In the 29 June 2011 issue of USA Today, Maggie Gallagher wrote a forthright commentary on the gay marriage issue, and what it all really means.  She wrote, "USA Today's editorial board is bending over backwards to find a way of engaging the marriage debate that escapes the key question: Is there a reason why marriage is the union of husband and wife, not only in our culture, but in almost every known human society?"

I answer that the reason why marriage is only between one man and one woman is because the Holy One of Israel hath spoken it.  In Genesis 2:24-25, we read, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."  Our dearly beloved Brother Paul also hath said, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26-27).

The above scriptures agree with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that homosexual relations are grevious sins.  Well did President Boyd K. Packer state,

We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage.  We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. . . . there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God’s laws and nature.  A law against nature would be impossible to enforce. ("Cleansing the Inner Vessel", Ensign, November 2010)
 
Sister Gallagher stated in her article also that "Gay marriage is not an increase in liberty; it is a government takeover of an institution [marriage] that government did not create and should not redefine.
 
When the government endorses a lie about human nature, there will be consequences."
 
I say also that there will be consequences when finally the United States sinks into this debouchary known as gay marriage.  The Mormon Eagle warns that unless the Fulness of the Gospel as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is followed in a strict and saintly manner by the people of the United States, God will stand aloof from this nation because of our choice to disregard His words.  He will then cease to protect and help us, for He hath said through His servant Moroni,
 
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 b 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. . . . 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. (Ether 2:9, 12)
 
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

President Packer Faints, Rests at Hospital

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was in Cambridge, Massachusets on Sunday with President Henrey B. Eyring of the First Presidency to rededicate the rebuilt Longfellow Park Chapel, which burned down two years ago due to an electrical fire.  Just after President Packer finished speaking at the pulpit, he collapsed to the floor.  The Deseret News of 20 June 2011 said, "LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said President Packer had 'a brief fainting spell' and that he 'was taken to a local hospital for observation and is resting comfortably.'"

According to the Saturday 25 June 2011 edition of the Deseret News, President Packer has been given a pace-maker implant in his heart.

This begs the question of how long President Packer has left until he is taken home to his eternal rest?  I presonally give it four more year (when he turns 90 year old), seeing now he is 86.  The Lord might have other plans in mind for him, but I don't think he'll be made President of the Church.  President Thomas S. Monson was 80 years old in 2008 (when he became President of the Church), and is now almost 84, and, I think, quite robust and full of vigor.  Now don't get me wrong, I love President Packer and have been a fan of his forthright speaking abilities and general wisdom for a long time and would hate to see him go.

Nevertheless, whatever the mind of the Lord, He will do it right, because He knows who will become the Prophet.  I hope President Packer makes a full recovery and has many more years of service left in him.  I know he is a true Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

An Apostle of the Lord in the Middle East

Courtesy of the Church News, an historic journey was reported.  From 6-20 April 2011, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited members in the Middle East, the area of greatest world tensions nowadays.  During his travels in the Middle East, Elder Holland

visited eight nations and addressed several thousand members of the Church.  Growth in the area prompted the division of the former Manama Bahrain Stake into the Manama Bahrain District and the newly named Abu Dhabi Stake.
The original stake from which this growth came was organized 28 years ago by then Elder Boyd K. Packer, now president of the Quorum of the Twelve.  Elder Holland is the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve to have returned to the stake since its creation.
Elder Holland reported that growth in the Church has tripled over the years and continues to increase.

This was indeed an historic trip, not only for Elder Holland, but for the annals of the Church and for the people of God.  It was written of Ishmael son of Abraham that the Angel of the Lord prophesied, "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Gen. 16:12)"  The term "wild" as used here is from the Hebrew, meaning a freedom loving people, and also probably a nomad.  Indeed the Muslims are nomadic and freedom loving, but they cannot obtain the freedom they seek save through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Of his endeavors in the Middle East this April, Elder Holland noted, "Just as anywhere else in the world, our Father in Heaven watches over those who faithfully keep their covenants and strive to obey the gospel.  That safety and protection was certainly manifest in the lives of the members of the Church I met with on this trip."

I know that if the Muslims repent and come to the Gospel they will obtain the freedom they seek.  In the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mormon Theology no. 21 - Obedience

A large amount of  quibbling from the Anti-Mormon presses has to do with how they see obedience, versus how the Latter-day Saints see it.  What is obedience, why must we obey (according to Christ), and does choice play a part, or is it just blind?  We will examine these claims.

Obedience Defined
Dictionary.com defines the word "obedience" this way: "Conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, especially on the part of one who has vowed such conformance."  This definition is what we are looking for.  The religious superior whom we obey is Jesus Christ.  However, it must be remembered that He speaks through His prophets - always and forever.  Secondly, the Mormon people have indeed vowed such conformance in the holy Temples.  


Remember the simple truth, "If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15)."  We show our love for the Savior by obeying His Gospel, which Gospel we receive through His prophets.  This leads to the question of, blind obedience or no?


Blind or No?
Imagine that a servant stands guard over a vineyard.  He stands on the ground, and in front of him stands a 10-foot tall wall, over which he cannot see.  Behind the servant stands a watchman upon a 50-foot tall tower.  This watchman has an unobstructed view over the 10-foot wall and outside of the vineyard where the King's enemies lurk.  If an enemy comes and the watchman sounds the alarm, the servant would do well to hearken to it, because the watchman can see what the servant cannot, and that knowledge can be life-saving.  Does the servants obey blindly the voice of the watchman?  No he does not, because the servant can see the watchman upon that tower, and knows the watchman has a clear view of what is beyond that wall.  Although the servant cannot see what is over that wall, he must come to a knowledge (through obedience) that the watchman will not misguide him.  This is the same principle the Messiah taught in John 7:17: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."  It is through obedience that we learn to truly see.

To illustrate, we have the experience of President Joseph F. Smith.

"President Joseph F. Smith, in company with Bishop Charles W. Nibley, was returning home by train from a trip to the east.  Near Green River, Wyoming, he had just stepped out onto the platform at the end of the car when he heard a voice that said, 'Go in and sit down.'  He went back into the train, hesitated a moment, and then said to himself, 'Oh, pshaw, perhaps it is only my imagination.'  He then heard the voice say again, 'Sit down.' Responding immediately, President Smith took his seat.  Just then the train lurched as a broken rail caused the engine and most of the cars to be thrown from the track.  Bishop Nibley said that if President Smith had not acted as he did, he would have been seriously injured, for although his car remained on the track, all of the cars were 'jammed up together pretty badly.'  President Smith said of this experience, 'I have heard that voice a good many times in my life, and I have always profited by obeying it (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 523–24).'"

President Smith did not obey blindly, but he exercised faith as he had in the past.

The Mormons are not blindly following their leaders.  President Boyd K. Packer taught how obedience brings freedom.  Said he:

"Some who do not understand the doctrinal part do not readily see the relationship between obedience and agency. And they miss one vital connection and see obedience only as restraint. . . . Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. . . . There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see ("Agency and Control", April 1983 General Conference)."

I know if one obeys the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is found only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, happiness will come.  I say these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen!