Rats and Sinking Ships

There are a number of superstitions amongst those who ply the seas.

Some are substantiated. Some are unsubstantiated.

Some seem based off a reasonable premise. Some seem rather silly.

You've probably heard of the saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning." This is likely based off the idea that clouds and the sunrise and sunset are good indicators of what the weather is like off that particular horizon. I don't exactly understand the correlation, that if the sky is clear or cloudy and the sunrise or sunset is red indicates clear weather or stormy weather off the horizon. I mean, it would really depend on which direction the prevailing winds are blowing. If the winds are blowing from east to west and the sunset in the west is red, it doesn't really guarantee good weather does it? Just like if the sunrise is red in the east, if the winds are blowing from west to east, there is no guarantee you'll run into foul weather does it?

Then there is all the "talk like a pirate" stuff that goes on. With the success of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films, everyone fancies him or her self some sort of carefree, swashbuckling buccaneer. It seems to be in good fun, even if people really have no idea what "Shiver me timbers!" or any number of other phrases mean. As long as a hearty, guttural "Aaaaar!" is included, it is all good, right?

But, here is one I've been thinking of for sometime: Rats leave a ship before it sinks...

Now, I don't know if it is just superstition or if it has some basis in real life. If you think about it, it would make sense for even the vermin on a ship to seek refuge by getting off a ship before it sinks. And yet, the superstition states that the vermin are smarter than the men aboard, because they sense something is wrong with the ship and get off well in advance of the ship sinking to avoid a watery grave. In the movies, we are shown rats running out of the holds, across decks, and down gangways and the sundry mooring lines just before the inevitable glub, glub, glub of the ship going under the water with the hapless human victims aboard. Sometimes, it is the villian who goes down with the ship, as the hero has gotten away. Other times, it is the innocent. And, in the proud, Victorian stiff-upper lip English tradition, it is the stoic Captain going down after making sure the crew and passengers are all off safely...

Here is what I want to ask you, what do you think of rats leaving the ship before it sinks? Is it at all possible that these rats may have been the cause for the ship to start floundering in the first place? Will the rats really be safe if the ship goes down away from dock? What if the rats are not really rats at all? What if the crew and passengers are not really crew and passengers, but people who were required to give or voluntarily put their trust in the "rats" who were in charge of the ship?

What do you think, do the rats deserve any further respect, trust, let alone absolution? What happens when you are one of the people left on the sinking ship, knowing it is sinking or has sunk, but don't know how long you will be able to tread water?

I dare say that in today's world, this is not a superstition, nor is it "all good." It is a fact for far too many of us.

So What Does Reverence Mean?

Over the past several months, I have been following a discussion in LinkedIn. I belong to a group there called "Eagle's Nest -- Eagle Scout Award Recipients." One individual asked the following question "How do you deal with a strong scout that doesn't hold any religious beliefs?" to start the discussion.

Now, on first glance, one kind of expects this to be a question from a concerned adult leader who is wondering what to do with a member of the troop who is agnostic.

Boy Scouts of America (BSA hereafter) policy is stated succinctly and concisely in it's Declaration of Religious Principle, which states:

"The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God and, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and organization or group with which a member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life. Only persons willing to subscribe to this Declaration of Religious Principle and to the Bylaws of the Boy Scouts of America shall be entitled to certificates of membership."

In other words, to be a member of the BSA as a youth or an adult, one can not be atheist. The right of the BSA as an organization to set it's own policy and membership criteria for acceptance and continued involvement in the BSA has been legally affirmed by the U.S. judicial system, be it a requirement concerning a belief in God or denial of membership due to homosexuality.

The Scout Oath includes at the beginning "Oh my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God". The last of the twelve points of the Scout Law is ("A Scout is...") "Reverent."

After the first response to the question, it was clear to some that the real question is if the BSA program and policy endorsing religious observance and reverence towards and duty to God can be watered down or ignored altogether so that those who are atheists or otherwise do not subscribe to a belief in a supreme being can be a part of the organization.

I guess I was kind of dense. I didn’t get it until 3 months later and the discussion had 94 comments, many of which in the latter half of the discussion were back and forths between various theists and atheists, some of the latter who became rather snarky. So, my contributions to the discussion were based on the assumption that the leader asking the question wanted to know how to teach what duty to God and reverence were within the Scouting approach to a boy who has no religious conviction. I suggested that it be approached based off what the troop's chartering organization's religious belief system is, if said organization is a religious body. If it is not, then perhaps the best thing to do is to teach the boy to respect the religious beliefs of others, to keep an open mind towards religious expression, and to encourage the boy that it is his right, duty and privilege to search out religion himself.

For others, the response varied. On one side, if a boy or leader are atheist, they should not be in the BSA. On the other, that being reverent is nothing more than being true to one's self or "to show reverence to human kind and one another" (quoting the original questioner 87 comments into the discussion) where there was no mention of a god or supreme being or power.

It turns out, the original questioner classifies himself as an agnostic who does not believe in God. Okay, I am confused, isn't that the same thing as saying you are atheist? Let's look at the The American Heritage Dictionary...

By definition, an agnostic is:

1. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
2. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

Whereas, an atheist is:

"a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings."

Reverent is defined as:

feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by reverence; deeply respectful

Reverence is defined as:

1. A feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration. See Synonyms at honor.
2. An act showing respect, especially a bow or curtsy.
3. The state of being revered.

So, the question comes back now, can one have a profound feeling of awe and respect towards something that they deny or disbelieve even exists? Let's be honest about it. No, one can not. To do so would, by their own philosophy, be hypocritical. It is tantamount to a person who values personal liberty and freedom in his own nation giving respect to a despotic and repressive political regime that denies that same liberty and freedom in another land.

Yet, the same can't be said for those who adhere to different religious persuasions. One can respect the beliefs towards religion another holds even if they differ because the two have the common ground of holding beliefs in a supreme being or power. It is more along the lines of "I may not agree with everything or anything you believe, but I know what you believe in is important to you, so I can and will respect your right to believe what you do, just as I hope you will for me."

The discussion on LinkedIn has devolved over time to the desire of some to get rid of the whole religious aspect within the BSA. I feel betrayed that these men were ever awarded the Eagle Scout, for they clearly have no concept of what reverence is. Like the proud and "intelligent" skeptics they are, they mock.

Why do you think the skeptics mock? I submit because they (just as boys who are "tool cool" for something mock that something) are actually terrified of embarrassing themselves. They ridicule, deride, and attempt to tear down that which discomforts them in order to remove the feeling they are threatened with -- in this case religious expression or belief they do not understand or choose not to experience.

In our day, we see this sort of behavior prevalent in the adult world whenever it comes to anything dealing with values, morals, or religious expression. Ultimately, the mockers' basis is "I never had that experience, so therefore no one else has or can either. So, if you said you did, you are a liar to me and yourself. Hence, I am mentally superior to you because I don't need to rely on anything I can't prove with my five senses. So, to ensure that I am not shown as vulnerable, there shall be no giving credibility or respect to your experience by even letting it have place to exist in this venue." And the proud skeptic attitude of mockery is being passed to young people more and more under the guise of a variety of philosophies and causes. Why else should there be the real desire to dilute the meaning of reverence in an organization like the BSA? Because the BSA influences so many and it stands for something that the mockers feel threatened by.

For those of you familiar with The Book of Mormon, does any of this sound familiar? Perhaps Sherem (see Jacob 7:7), "for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come." Or more likely Korihor (see Alma 30:6-17), "...why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things?" and "...it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so."

If you are not familiar with The Book of Mormon, may I encourage you to read and ponder it? I can guarantee you that if you approach it with a reverent attitude, you will gain wisdom by having an open mind. You could even gain more than just wisdom, if you’re willing to accept it…

Now, here is the clincher. The man who started the discussion with his question stated this (mispellings included): "The reason people like (name withheld) take this stance is the terrible opression upon non-believers (such as kicking out non-believing young men). A young man that perceives no consequence after death but still chooses the right, is a very noble man." The question becomes who defines what is right? If one can not reverence that which one does not believe, how can one accept that a decision that is deemed "right" by those belief systems one doesn't believe or reverence is actually "right" and worthy of being made? Seems to me that the individual is more apt to make the decision based on what he or she feels comfortable with instead.

And the cherry on the top, again likening the scriptures to us for our profit and learning, here is a typical atheist argument: "the terrible opression upon non-believers (such as kicking out non-believing young men)." Doesn't that sound like every group of people who dissented from the Nephites due to said group's choice to believe as it chose? They blamed those who stuck by the standard of oppressing them because they chose to oppose the standard?

Is denying membership in a private organization to an individual who does not meet the standard membership criteria that is applied to all oppression, particularly when membership is sought on a fully voluntary basis? No. And it isn't discrimination either, as in the nasty epithet that gets thrown at people in this messed-up, politically-correct society we live in. It is an example of the U.S. Supreme Court recognized right to association, which in layman's terms means that a private organization has the right to associate with whom it chooses.

Well, so what is oppression? According to Random House Dictionary:

1. the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
2. an act or instance of oppressing.
3. the state of being oppressed.
4. the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.

Hmm... maybe a legal definition from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law would help:

"an unjust or excessive exercise of power: as

• a: unlawful, wrongful, or corrupt exercise of authority by a public official under color of authority that causes a person harm
• b: dishonest, unfair, wrongful, or burdensome conduct by corporate directors or majority shareholders that entitles minority shareholders to compel involuntary dissolution of the corporation
• c: inequality of bargaining power resulting in one party's lack of ability to negotiate or exercise meaningful choice"

Okay, saying that an atheist can not be a member of the BSA is not unjust or excessive exercise of power to begin with, but to further prove it isn't oppression; "a:" does not apply, because the BSA is a private organization and it's policy has nothing to do with public officials; "b:" does not apply because there is nothing in the policy that compels involuntary dissolution of the BSA; and "c:" does not apply because the policy does not impede the ability of a party to exercise a choice.

In other words, if an atheist's choice is to be part of the BSA, then the exercise of that choice should logically conclude with the individual’s agreement to bring himself into compliance with the membership requirement of showing reverence and recognizing an obligation to God. It is not like The Declaration of Religious Principle is some piece of information that no one is aware of until they are in the BSA… it is contained on every membership application form.

Hometown Reunion Weekends

This past weekend I attended a singular event. My 25 year high school class reunion. The fact I attended my class' 20 year reunion five years ago prevents this event from being a completely unique experience in the continuum of my mortal existence.

It was held at the exact same location. The food served was pretty much the same self-serve buffet fare in disposable aluminum chafing dishes over sterno heaters. I think I got a bit more to eat this time than last time around, but as last time, the big draw for nearly everyone there was the beer and drinks. My wife and I were glad to find a few other folks there who chose not to drink, or who seemed to limit themselves to one bottle of beer. Thankfully, these were also some of my better friends from 25 years ago too.

It was nice to see some people I hadn't seen in five years. It was nice to see some people I hadn't seen in twenty-five years. It was nice to see and experience that life's experiences had softened divisions of artificial social classes. There was such a distinction of social classes back in high school, who would have guessed many of the folks there would have been so happy to see someone who didn't run in their social circles.

I think the cynic in just about everyone would say that sentiment is all artificial and as phony as a three dollar bill. The cynic would say people were just being polite, or it was the alcohol lowering inhibitions, and that when all is said and done, people will go back to being the same snobs or introverts they were back in high school.

There may be some truth in that, but I choose to think differently. I don't artificially claim that I am now best buddies with any of these people who I went to school with. Had we really been close, there would have been a two way attempt at staying in touch over the years.

But, I want to see the best in others. I want to believe that those who I felt looked down on me in high school were genuinely glad to see me and that the warm handshakes, pats on the back, and hugs were more than just expected social graces. As fundamentally miniscule in the greater, eternal scheme of things associations with these people is, I choose to embrace the fact that it is indeed a small part of what defines me and who I am. I chose to interpret the smiles, laughs, and reminiscing of things from high school as genuine appreciations of having had some form of shared experience, even if there is nothing that binds us together beyond that.

I believe that there are many who do not share that view. Lets face it, high school is a rough time for most people. And, many want nothing to do with those memories or people ever again. Most of the guys I hung around with between junior and senior high fit into the group. We weren't the jocks. We weren't the popular guys. We weren't the burnouts. We weren't the nerds. We were the guys who just kind of congregated together. We created our own class that crossed and transcended social classes and at the same time disdained the social classes.

But, the fact remains that for our group, attendance at the reunion was essentially the same number, just one face changed. And overall, it really seemed like class wide attendance was maybe 1/2 what it was five years ago. I guess there are those that have no desire or interest to relive the associations, and those that are not wanting to compare themselves to others or to show what they have become.

I guess I am kind of weird in finding this all a little troubling. I have always hoped that many of the people I went to school with would someday come to a knowledge of the gospel. In high school, I was the only one in my class who held the Priesthood of God. As far as I know, I still am. I don't know that any of my former classmates, whether I knew them or not, have embraced the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Back then, I think a lot of classmates knew who I was simply because of the standing as a witness for Him and His restored Church in various government, history, speech and other classes where topics of religion and cultures would be discussed. This was back in the day when school teachers, administrators, and districts weren't so afraid of litigation for simply mentioning or giving time to discussion of religious aspects of ordinary day life. Just from sheer probability, there had to be a number of classmates who thought I was some sort of wacko for being Mormon and standing for something other than drugs, sex, rock n' roll, wealth and the social activities of a mid '80's preppie high school.

I felt back then that I had a responsibility of some sort to be an example as best I could and to point the way to those who wanted to find the Tree of Life. I suppose I still do. And I wish I was better at it now and had been better at it back then. I guess that if I live my life righteously enough, I may gain the opportunity to help preach the gospel to members of my high school graduating class on the other side of the veil in the spirit world.

Sure enough, each individual has the freedom to choose as he or she will. And sure enough, each individual will have the opportunity to hear the fulness of the Gospel after death if they haven't here while in mortality. And, I'm sure many will accept it then. But, they don't need to wait until then. They don't need to continue on living lives that are full of pain or that have become cyclical train wrecks as they encounter the consequences of choices that go contrary to our Father's laws -- laws they are subject to even if they are not aware of them.

If any of you classmates find my blog and read it, please listen to what I'm saying! You guys are literal sons of God. You gals are literal daughters of God. He is the Father of our spirits. We all lived in His presence before we were born. I'll speculate that we knew or were acquainted with each other there. When our Father presented a plan for our progression, growth, and happiness, we all agreed to it. We all stood on the side of His Only Begotten Son after the manner of the flesh, Jesus Christ.

This plan of happiness was set forth before the foundations of this earth we live on was even set. Our Father loves us and wishes for us to become as He is. This requires us to be born on earth and receive a mortal body. It also requires us to have the memory of where we were before removed. We live here on earth to learn, grow, and prove ourselves obedient by walking in faith and thus capable of handling all the blessings He would desire to bless us with.

But two things damn us in this effort to receive all that the Father has for us. First, we will die physically. Our spirit and our body will be separated at some point. We can't be like God the Father if we do not have our physical body. The second is that we are imperfect. We make mistakes. We sometimes, or oft times, willfully are also disobedient to the laws He has told us exist. God is perfect and has a glorified, exalted, and immortal physical body of flesh and bones. Something about that perfect nature makes it impossible for that which is of imperfect, or unclean, nature to exist in His presence. And, the imperfect and unclean are all of us who pass through mortality having the capacity to understand right and wrong. This separation is referred to as spiritual death, for we can not be in God's presence. God knew that these two conditions would exist. So, He also provided a means of overcoming both separations -- or deaths -- physical and spiritual. The means is through the Atonement (or at-one-ment, or bringing together as one) of Jesus Christ. Though a member of the Godhead, Jesus Christ is our older brother. He is not only the spiritual son of God the Father, but the physical son. It is quite simple, and it should not seem blasphemous to any of you who have accepted part of the gospel of Christ. Open your hearts and your minds and recognize the promptings of The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, who will testify directly to your spirit what is true. All that I say here is testified of by the holy prophets of God from Adam down to the present day. It is all testified of and recorded in true scripture, ancient and modern.

Jesus Christ, possessing the divine attributes of His Father, God, and the attributes of his mortal mother, Mary, had the power to live perfectly (without committing sin) and yet knew what temptation was and was still subject to being tempted as we are. He also had the power to give up his life and to take it back again. And because He lived perfectly, He was suited to become the intercessor with The Father for all of us -- His spiritual brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ was and is the Messiah. He took upon Himself the penalty for every sin each individual who had lived or who ever will live on this earth. He paid the price for our freedom from death and hell, and opened the way whereby we can continue back to our Father's presence and become exalted like He is, and as Jesus Christ became.

Because Jesus died and on the third day rose from the tomb as a resurrected, immortal being, we all shall likewise arise from our tombs as resurrected, immortal beings. We shall receive our bodies again, and they will then be immortal, perfect, and glorified. That is a free gift. We don't have to do anything to receive redemption from the separation of body and spirit caused physical death.

Jesus assumed the penalty for each of our sins. Your sins and my sins. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. His suffering in Gethsemane, where the physical and mental stress and anguish were so great that He bled from every pore, was not just some generic thing. Somehow, during that time, he suffered the full brunt of the pain, anguish, and sorrow for every individual's specific sins and various infirmities.

When the prophet Isaiah says "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (see Isaiah 53), he is talking about you and me and The Savior. In our day, The Savior Himself has said "Therefore I command you to repent -- repent lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore -- how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit -- and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink -- Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (see Doctrine & Covenants 19).

We can be freed from the ultimate effect of our sins -- spiritual death, the separation from God's presence -- if we repent of them and seek His forgiveness. This freedom from spiritual death is not a free gift though. It requires we do our part. And that is where the Grace of God comes in. We are expected to do all we can to repent of and forsake sin. We are expected to do all we can to be humble and obedient. We are expected to match our will up to His will. But, because we are imperfect, it won't be enough. That is why we need Jesus Christ. He will (and does) pay our penalty and price to redeem us from the debt still owed when we have done our due diligence in the process. That is the Grace of God.

The Grace of God is not eat, drink, be merry, do whatever one wants and in the end it will be okay because one says he or she believes in Christ or God and one has nothing to do other than that. The Grace of God is also not something that is only available to those who are next to perfect and no one else bother apply. The Grace of God is that Jesus Christ, who is a member of the Godhead, has condescended to redeem us each individually upon condition of our individual repentance and best effort compliance to our Father's laws. The Grace of God has no effect on those who do not repent. He will not save unrepentant people still in their sins and subject to the temptations and under the power of the adversary. His Grace is what saves and redeems people who have repented from that state of being subject to the Devil.

There is much more for you to know and to understand. This is pretty much just the basics, and the reason why you should listen. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (See John 8). If you are willing to learn the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and apply that knowledge into your life, you shall have a fuller, more happy, more joyous life. You shall be closer to inheriting that which our Heavenly Father wishes to bless you with in the eternities.

Like I said earlier, I choose to see the best in you. I choose to think that time and life's experiences may have softened and prepared a large number of you to be receptive to the Gospel I have known is true since we were in high school together. So please, classmates, when you see missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at your door, let them in. Don't just write me and these things off as being some wacko Mormon thing. Listen to what they say. Exercise faith and accept the challenges they give you. Be open to hearing and feeling the Holy Ghost testify to your soul. Be willing to let go of those things in your life that degrade you from realizing your divine heritage and potential.

When all is said and done, I encourage you to end up on the other side of our mortal existence with you having done more than just what I have said. We will have reunions in the spirit world as well. And I guarantee they will be of a somewhat different nature than what we have had here as a class. Perhaps the attendance at these future reunions will be based on the individual's choice as well. Please do your part so that when we meet at those we will have more in common than having been in high school together... let us have something in common that really matters -- discipleship of The Lord Jesus Christ and membership in His kingdom.

Not Much To Say

Well, it has been several months again since I posted anything... and that last post was actually talking about a nice op-ed piece by a cousin.

Right now, I don't have much to say. Either that or I have too much to say.

I doubt much of what I could have posted or what I had been thinking of would have been of much value to you over the past while.

Last week, in an indirect though pointed manner, I was told by a friend that I am an energy taker. I can't really dispute that, because I probably have been for a number of months. Being unemployed with no active prospect of that changing for over a year has really taken a toll on my outlook of the world.

It is true. I'm cynical. I'm upset. I'm mad. I'm sick of the state of our nation and the economy. I'm sick of politicians. I'm sick of the greed, avarice, hatred, and wickedness in the world. I'm tired of feeling isolated and obsolete.

But, based on the referenced conversation, when I speak or talk to folks, I can't feel confident anymore that anything that is coming across is positive. And if others perceive negativity, I have to wonder if they are going to run away from it and me... that maybe they don't want their energy sucked away.

I guess what I have a problem with in this whole concept of energy givers and energy takers is that it kind of contradicts the whole being a light unto the world doctrine. As a disciple of Christ, we are told to let our light shine, and not to hide it under a bushel. The metaphor there is to give off energy, yes? Why? The scriptures say so that others can see one's good works and glorify God. (Matthew 5:16)

Let others see your good works?! Wait, aren't we supposed to be humble, and meek, and do good things in secret so that it doesn't look like we're being prideful?

Well, yeah. I don't think this means doing things publicly so that others will say "Oh what a good person you are!" I think it has more to do with something the larger part of the Christian world doesn't understand (one of the plain and precious truths lost over the centuries of the Great Apostacy), and perhaps what a lot of members of the Lord's restored Church have yet to grasp.

It has to do with being a disciple of Christ and how it is not simply an individual struggle. Obedience to the Lord's commandments and His council is an individual effort, but living as a disciple is far from individual effort. I believe true discipleship can only be realized in a community of those individuals who have made and entered into sacred covenants with Him.

In the Book of Mormon, there are two prophets by the name of Alma. The elder of the two was the only recorded convert to The Lord of another prophet, Abinadi. Abinadi was executed by a wicked king for his steadfastness in condemning the wickedness of the rulers and the people. Alma the elder was one of the rulers, and he had a great change of heart before Abinadi was condemned. Alma repented and eventually became the means of salvation for many other people who also repented as he taught them the things Abinadi had been executed for teaching. Alma and these penitent people had to teach and worship in secret, or would face the same fate as Abinadi.

At one point, the people were ready to enter into a sacred covenant with The Lord. That was baptism: the gate into The Lord's kingdom and entry point onto the path of discipleship to The Lord's reward. Mosiah 18:7-10 describes this.

Alma tells the people who have been working on repenting what letting their light shine means.

It means "mourn with those that mourn; yea, comfort those that stand in need of comfort", which in turn is part of the overall covenant of what discipleship means and the blessings that are afforded as a result.

So, in a community of disciples, what does that mean? In my mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise then that some people are going to be energy takers at various times. They are the ones who are mourning and need comfort (note, the scripture does not limit the source or cause of the mourning or discomfort or related period of duration).

Sometimes, a person simply needs a non-energy taker to just listen and not pass categorical sentence on them as a result. Maybe telling or hinting the person is wrong simply because they are in turmoil is not in harmony with what Alma taught, let alone the example The Savior gave.

Can you imagine if He had told Lazarus' sisters to just buck up, have a stiff upper lip, and stop the whining when their brother had died? He most certainly saw the big picture, and knew that if it were The Father's will, He would restore Lazarus to life. Likewise, it would be unthinkable for us to tell someone today who has lost a loved one to death to just get over it.

How then is it different if someone is out of sorts because their world view has become clouded, or because they mourn the loss of an aspect of their life? They need actual inclusion and reassurance by the community of disciples more than artificial build ups based on philisophical paradigms.

Hopefully, this isn't a drastic departure, but I am reminded of a scene from the movie "Crocodile Dundee." The character Mick "Crocodile" Dundee is taken to a social gathering in New York by his host Sue Charlton. Remember, Mick is from the unpretentious outback of Australia. The people at this party are a bunch of hoity toity socialites of upper class snobbery. Sue describes one of the guests to Mick in a gossipy manner as being much better after many expensive sessions with a psychiatrist / psychologist / counselor. Mick's response is essentially the person must not have many "mates", because if someone has a problem where he is from, it is solved by talking it out with one's mates.

What a novel idea! Talking things out with one's friends! And, one can only do that if they really feel like they will be listened to first. There is this thing about trust that is essential to communication. I don't know about you, but with me, if I am not 100% positive I can trust you, I am certainly not going to open up to you more than I feel I can trust you. And, I'll clam right back up if I feel I'm being marginalized. Ever heard the platitude that laying someone off is nothing personal, just a business decision? Well, to the person who gets laid off, it is extremely personal. Likewise, a listener needs to remember that no matter how intelligent the speaker is, if a listener marginalizes the speaker's subjective concerns and thoughts, it will too often come across as marginalizing the speaker.

So, do we as members of a community of Christ's disciples really work at building and ensuring trust exists? Do you? Do I? Do we think about what it takes to maintain and nurture that trust?

When I see the lights of others shining by their humble living of His Gospel truth, I have been warmed by that light as well. It does not diminish the light they give off. Hopefully at times, I have actually amplified it. I do in turn end up glorifying God, if in nothing more, by expressing gratitude for this or that person's influence for good and charity towards me.

I hope that when I am out of this trough of spiritual emotional energy transfer systems, I remember this and am able to freely share my light to boost those who need a bit of Energizer Bunny jump start.

Like I said at the beginning, I don't really have much to say. Either that, or too much to say. But maybe sharing this thing I've been pondering on the last week will give you some value.

MMCM Kirk W. Waldron's 9-11-08 Editorial

I want to strongly encourage and recommend you read the linked op-ed piece written by my cousin, MMCM Kirk W. Waldron, United States Navy. When I read it yesterday for the first time, I was very impressed!

I asked his permission to link it and share it with all who may venture into this part of the universe. He graciously gave his consent, and asked if I was trying to make him famous! I replied that every piece of good writing, particularly that which is sharing plain and simple truth, should be celebrated! Beyond that, I don't know if being associated with The Blunt Edge is an asset or a liability for him. :D

Though Kirk and I haven't been terribly close in mortality due to growing up in different parts of the nation -- therefore not having had a lot of interaction -- I have been in silent awe at his decision, determination, and sacrifice to spend his life and career in the service of defending our nation. I think I was in Germany serving a mission when he began his military career.

And having had a very brief exposure to the lives of military families while I was there in Germany, I'm equally in silent awe at the support his wife and children have given him and the sacrifices made while he has been deployed at sea over the years.

The intent and words of my cousin's writing speaks for itself. I could not embellish or improve on it, even if I tried. Nor would I have earned the right to do so.

So, all I'll say is decide what you can do -- and then do it -- to stop the internal unraveling of this great nation. Otherwise, you make a mockery of the sacrifices of the men and women who voluntarily defend it from all threats, internal and external. Stand for what is right. Stand for what is true. "Remember how it felt to stand by your neighbor, not against him."

Playing Virtual Tag

All kids like to play tag. They run and chase and laugh, taking turns of who is it. Here in the virtual blog world, a game similar to it exists. Someone comes up with a list of questions and then goes to a friend's blog and "tags" them. To become un-it, the blog author has to answer the questions and then "tag" someone else.

Though this blog is linked to other individual's blogs, the author has never been "tagged".

Tagging seems to be a singular honor that is not reserved for those of us this side of The Blunt Edge. We have survived thus far without it, and likely will in the future as well. That being said, don't anyone take it upon yourself to "tag" The Blunt Edge, or we shall be forced to take drastic measures... like ignoring the request to divulge trivial information about ourselves to all the virtual data voyeurs out there.

In fact, it is kind of an honor that The Blunt Edge hasn't been tagged. Kind of like proudly being able to say that you never stepped foot in or near the Star Palace or any of the other dance clubs who cater / catered to the college crowd in Provo, Utah, in all the years you were a college student there.

It is sometimes amusing to see the rounds these little games of tag make. But more often than not, one such as myself sees the "Tag" post on another person's blog and ends up losing interest within about three of the "revelatory" answers. I mean -- come on -- if a person isn't gonna be telling a deep dark secret, what is the point?

We don't want to hear the most embarrassing moment of your life was when one of your children had a blowout and the toxic waste dripped all over your rich relation's new silk blouse... what is necessary is the detailed plans for the death ray you're building in the garage!

We need to know that you are some sort of mild mannered gopher at a fictional newspaper by day and a flying, caped super hero when not on the clock... not that your favorite TV show is the epsiode of "24" where House makes a call on Jack Bauer and they end up getting Lost or "The Welcome Back Kotter 90210 Christmas Special".

So, when a cousin of mine announced to the world on Facebook that she had answered a "Tag" there, I felt it would be interesting to see how I would answer the questions she was tagged with. Be aware, this is only hypothetical, because I wasn't tagged, and neither was this blog.

Enjoy.



1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Well, duh! Like after everyone else in the history of the Earth who was named before me...

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sorry, that didn't make it into my Franklin Planner.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I can read it, can't you?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Track is always good, but so is wrestling. I can't say I've ever heard of holding one at lunch though.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? I am not fortunate enough to own juvenile goats... or adult goats for that matter.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'm already my own best friend. If I were another person, that would mean I have to borrow, purchase, or otherwise steal someone else's identity, and well frankly, no one else quite measures up to my greatness. Besides that being quite illegal, it would end up being a step down in friendship with me...

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Only on the second Thursdays of each week.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Well, if that is your way of asking if you can have them, the answer is "No, you can't!"

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Have your people call my people and maybe we'll find some time to do lunch sometime... like on the second Thursday of some week...

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Not wishing to offend any of the cereal manufacturers or various grain farmers councils, I judiciously plead Beethoven's Fifth.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? You watched a little too much Mr. Rogers growing up, didn't you?

12. (no question) Hey! Guess what! There was no question 12, so I guess this is a freebie answer!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? See the cereal question answer. Yes, I answer to the same authorities when it comes to the frozen dairy delight.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Aside from their status of being alive or dead, probably the fact they are people and not animals... or plants... or minerals...

15. RED OR PINK? Red or pink what?

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? That unlike in Weird Al's song "Fat", I don't have my own zip code.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Dang it! Did I misplace cousin Earl again?

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Only if it creates a new crisis Al Gore can capitalize on. That way, I could make money selling Bit-credits.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Now that is assuming a lot... who is to say I'm not bare foot and wearing a kilt?

20. (no question) Woo Hoo! Another free answer!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The windmills in my mind as they turn the grindstones that are processing this question.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? What was the question again? I was still surveying the windmills in my mind...

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? I don't think I've ever met Favorite, so I can't say whether or not he/she/it smells...

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The person immediately before the next person I will talk to on the phone, and the person just after to whom was previously spoken to on the phone.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No one sent this to me, so I'd have to say that I'm definitely undecided about whether I am in like with that person or not. Besides, I'm already taken, so "going with them" is out of the question.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Okay, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on this one, but most informed people can see this is only a thinly vieled attempt to subvert my pleading Beethoven's Fifth on question #10.

27. HAIR COLOR? No, it is natural.

28. EYE COLOR? Are you telling me people actually dye their eyes? That is just sick...

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? If your eyesite is so good, you tell me!

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Listen, this is now the fourth time I have to remind you about my duty to the cereal manufacturers and grain farmers associations. I can't answer this without getting in legal trouble that could result in the end of the world as we now know it.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Can't we all just get along? I mean, what ever happened to the golden age of mediocre plots with deus ex machina endings?

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The one where this thing happened and someone was doing that thing and then it all ended.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Again with the assumptions! I could be wearing chain mail for all you know!

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both families of squash are tasty and should be used in and out of season...

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Please sir, not in front of the Klingons...

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Look... if you ask another question like this, I'm going to have to get a restraining order so that I can protect my interests in the food chain...

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Those who are questioned... Those who know the answer... Those who like to talk... Those who don't do well under interrogation...

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Those who aren't questioned... Those who don't know the answer... Those who don't like to talk... Those who do well under interrogation...

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I was just reading the question. Now I'm writing the response. There is no such thing as true multi-tasking. Get real!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Call the exterminator, Mabel! The mice have a flat somewhere in the house!

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I don't recall there being anything set on top of the TV last night. Oh wait, I guess I did see the cable box on top of the set in the bedroom.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Restraining orders don't work with you, do they, Bubba? So, I've got one thing to ask... you feel lucky punk?

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Actually, coprolites and dung beetles do have something in common.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Whose home?

45. DO YOU HAVE SPECIAL TALENTS? Now what, pray tell, is a special talent?

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? I can only go on what I've been told. I was too young for it to have made a great impression on my memory. Either that or it was so traumatic that the memory is repressed.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? In the spirit of transparent unity, I forecast a great synergy and change out of actualizing the forecasted results from all sources utilizing their full production reporting capacity.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER? While my talking pet donkey distracted a dragon, I grabbed her and threw her over my onion-boy shoulder.

Agency and Atonement

I had a brief discussion this morning with my eldest daughter while taking her to school. A few minutes earlier in her early morning seminary class, apparently what had been to that point a spiritually uplifting lesson turned into a debate between three of the young men present.

I caught the very tail end of it after most of the kids had left to go to school and one of the three was still trying to make his point in explaining his opinion to the remaining kids and one of the instructors.

After listening at the classroom door and in the car, it was clear that all three young men were incorrect and do not understand the doctrine they were trying to grasp and convince about via the debate.

The two concepts are the agency each of us is endowed with to choose freely and the nature of the Savior's Atonement. Two young men stated that there is no real "free agency" if God knows what we will do, and that even Christ's fulfilling the Atonement was not a "free" choice -- that He had to do it. The other young man stated that Christ's Atonement was universal and that he paid the price for every possible sin that could be committed, but that each of us only takes one path along the many possible paths and sins covered by the Atonement. He even drew a decision tree diagram on the white board to illustrate his point.

Now, it is my opinion that none of these young men were or are correct. I feel the words and comments I express in this posting are valid, because it is supported doctrinally in the scriptures and teachings of modern and ancient prophets, apostles, and The Savior Himself. It is also verified by personal revelation from The Holy Ghost. These young men will not understand where they are incorrect until they have the truth revealed to them by The Holy Ghost. That will require some humility, study, pondering, and prayer on their individual parts. These young brothers need to get it "down in their heart." (1)

As to the argument that we really don't have free agency, let us first explain what free agency is not. Our agency to choose is not the freedom to choose anything and be free of the related consequences of that decision. The right and freedom to choose was endowed unto us as individuals long before the foundations of this earth or any part of this sphere of God's creation was set. It can not be taken from us, and He will not do so. We are free to choose what we will. We are not free to change consequences for decisions though, be they good or bad. We are eternal beings, just as God The Father is an eternal being. But, unlike God The Father, we are not perfect beings yet. He knows and understands all things. We do not.

Here is where a pernicious misunderstanding gets introduced into true, pure doctrine. Since God The Father knows all things (meaning He knows the beginning from the end), He must therefore also know the exact decisions we each will make before hand. Sounds reasonable, right? The argument then becomes that our choices are therefore not made freely. If he knows what we individually will do, it is not really "free".

Here is the false doctrine, that easily becomes a stumbling block for those who have not understood that omniscience is something mutually exclusive from agency. The concept of "free" is being confused with the concept of "spontaneous". If something is not "spontaneous", it must therefore be something that was planned. In other words, the choice that is not 100% spontaneous is a form predestination, and simply because God The Father knows what an individual's decision and choice would be before that individual ever makes it.

That seems pretty shallow logic when the concept is exposed at the root level, doesn't it? It is. Why?

Well, in the matter of a few years, most parents know their children well enough to fairly accurately predict how each child will choose when given instructions and then left to carry them out. I can usually predict which of my children is going to make the decision to get assigned chores done and who won't. They still are free to decide to do it or not to do it, even if they know the consequence (reaction) they will get from their parents either way.

How does this apply to God The Father? Well, He is literally the Eternal Father of our spirits. He has known each of us individually and personally for countless millennia. In that time, it would be a fair assumption to say He knows each of us personally well enough to be 100% accurate in predicting how each of us will choose to carry out the instructions He gives us. Hence, He is omniscient in this matter. But, that is not predestination. We are not destined to make any choice one way or the other, just as we are not destined to fail. We are left to choose freely in all we do.

It would only be predestination if Our Father told each individual that this is the choice you will make and there is no other option and therefore you will make that decision and you don't have the power to deviate from that. He would of necessity have to be a micro-manager in the worst sense.

But He does not do that. Micro-managing His children would frustrate The Plan of Happiness He set forth before the earth was formed. He does not force any of his children to make any decision one way or the other. We employ our agency freely, knowing or ignorant of the consequences of the decision. At the same time, He doesn't just say "Okay, here's the test kids! Have fun!" and then leave the room. Even if it could be legitimately construed as "interference" in some bizarro world, He blesses each individual born who is accountable for his or her own actions (meaning those of us who are not mentally handicapped) a tool to help us -- a conscience, or rather the Light of Christ, to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong choices. But, even then, we are still free to make our own decisions and choices. (2, 3)

God The Father did not force His Firstborn, Jehovah (Jesus Christ), to fulfill the Atonement. Christ chose to do so freely twice: first when The Plan of Happiness was presented in the Council of Heaven we all were part of, and then again as the defining moment of His mortal life and ministry. Christ exercised His own agency, knowing the consequences of that decision, even if not fully understanding the level of anguish, pain, agony, and suffering He would go through until the actual weight of atoning for all the sins of all who would enter mortality fell upon Him in Gethsemane. (4)

Though indeed related, that Jesus Christ was the only one who could actually perform the Atonement is a separate discussion. That has to do with the nature of His relationship to God The Father and the requirements necessary to fulfill the Law of Justice while providing the benefit of the Law of Mercy. God's law is eternal, and breaking of His law requires a punishment. Each of God's laws has a blessing attached to it for obedience to it as well as a punishment for lack of obedience. (5) Yet, God's omniscience saw that all but Christ would become subject to the Law of Justice and would have no chance at redemption unless someone with the power to be a proxy for the punishments merited by others chose to accept that role. (6)

I don't know how it worked or works. I just know that it does. Jesus Christ was without sin, having never transgressed God's law. He was the only one in a situation and endowed with the spiritual and physical characteristics needed to serve as your proxy and my proxy to meet the demands of Justice. Being Savior in the Plan of Happiness was not a role any of the rest of us could have fulfilled. Jehovah was the only one foreordained to that role. And, in mortality, He chose to accept that foreordination and fulfill the Atonement in order that we each individually could have redemption, if we individually so chose. (7, 8, 9)

And all that has been asked in return is for each individual who chooses redemption to repent of his or her sins, leave them behind, and to live according to God's law, chosing to subject our will to His. And that is how Mercy works. His Atonement bridges the gap for us to The Father we each make.

The Atonement is universal -- meaning it was infinite, covering every soul who has or should ever live on this earth. Perhaps even for any other earth too.

The Atonement is not just a generic blank check for all the generations of mankind. It is a blank check written out specifically to each individual. It is billions upon billions of blank checks, for Christ suffered each individual's suffering for their personal sins. He therefore became intimately acquainted with each one of us as an individual. Somehow, all done in the relatively brief period of time He suffered and bled from every pore in Gethsemane. (10, 11, 12)

We are agents to ourselves, free to choose. He is an agent to Himself, and He was free to choose to do the will of The Father or not. He chose to do The Father's will, thus redeeming us from the justice demanded for when we individually choose not to follow The Father's will. It therefore again becomes our individual choice if we accept that mercy and repent and turn back to The Father through The Savior. (13)



Notes / References / Further Reading
(1) Things Will Work Out, President Henry B. Eyring of The First Presidency, March 2008 Ensign
(2) Helaman 14:30-31
(3) Truth Restored, Elder Richard G. Scott of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, November 2005 Ensign
(4) Doctrine & Covenants 19:15-20
(5) Doctrine & Covenants 130:21, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Nephi 9:25-27
(6) 2 Nephi 2:6-7
(7) Doctrine & Covenants 18:10-13
(8) 2 Nephi 2:25-29
(9) Alma 12
(10) Alma 7:12
(11) A Pattern for All, Elder Merrill J. Bateman of The Presidency of the Seventy, November 2005 Ensign
(12) Jesus Christ -- The Master Healer, Elder Russell M. Nelson of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, November 2005 Ensign
(13) The Atonement of Jesus Christ, Elder Jeffery R. Holland of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles