Ride the Lightning

This makes me so happy to see. The upcoming documentary touches upon one of the very root causes of so many societal problems - fatherlessness. I commend James Hetfield for being brave with this, but that is something I have admired about him for awhile now. Here is a man who has lifted himself up from bottoming out in the gutter of addiction and squalor to becoming quite a respectable family man and mentor (who still knows better than ever how to shred the guitar neck and wail like a banshee on the mic!).

Though he likely doesnt know it, Hetfield is testifying of the truth taught by Brother David, President McKay who said that "no success in life will compensate for failure in the home". I have admired watching him be so honest with the public and the music community he comes from about changes he has made to his life that he feels are right, as it cannot be easy, preaching sobriety, charitable giving and the family life to an audience you still hope will financially support you through your music performances and recordings.

In my judgement, he has shown himself in his mature adult years to be a high caliber human being (this clip is just a slice of what I refer to) and I have good expectations of what the future may bear out for him. People in his position can make a strong impact when they testify of essential gospel truths to audiences that desperately need to hear it, and that is what James Hetfield is doing, even if he doesnt fully realize it yet. Fatherhood is a sacred duty and key to our honor as men.

For completely reinventing his life without abandoning the God-given talent to entertain musically, and for moving gradually towards truth and standing up for it in a most public way, my hat is off to Brother James!

Whoa! Whoa!

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-2002-toppling-brutal-dictator-dumb

http://www.gazette.com/articles/springs-115381-colorado-obama.html

Ok.... so the first article is about how Obama said toppling a brutal dictator is a "dumb" war. I don't remember if I posted on here or not about my thoughts of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, after having personally spent some time there. But conspiratorily, I think that contracting companies have so much money at stake that when they see one conflict spooling down, they gotta keep that industry pumping by stirring up another pot... case in point Libya.

The second article is about a retired AF colonel who... well here's the hard part, I can't tell if the story is about proof that Obama is an illegitimate president (kind of hard to tell because it's buried among details of how the information was obtained illegally), but anyways, wouldn't one think that proof that a President is illegitimate be a more important story than how someone obtained the proof?

We live in a sick and twisted, and corrupt world. Nothing to do about it but continue striving to live a good, honest, hardworking life....

Eternity is Now

I found a quote from Elder Ballard that struck me,


“How well are we feeding, nurturing, training, and exercising the spirits of our children? . . . Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life.”
—Elder M. Russell Ballard"

The parent perspective is an interesting one. I have five daughters and when I parent, my perspective often turns towards what I don't want them to be. For example, I don't want them to be a prostitute when they grow up. I don't want them to lie, cheat, and steal their way through life, etc. I realize that in order to be the best parent I can, I must first nurture and prepare my children for their grand future, not spend my efforts avoiding some potential negative life path.

I suppose the value of this quote for me is that I have come to the realization that we better serve our children by embracing their full potential without fear of the opposition to that potential. I also realize that this speaks to the way we view ourselves.

Life after Porn

A mission friend of mine is a high-councilor in a stake in Southern Arizona. From time to time we call each other on the phone and talk about school, family, jobs, and the church. Not having been in or on a high council meeting since my mission report over 10 years ago, I would say I am not privy to the experience that these men undertake in holding disciplinary councils or in discussing the challenges facing the local church and its members.

So I asked my friend a simple question, "What is the most common reason that individuals come in for church discipline reasons to the stake?" His answer was two fold and without doubt - sexual misconduct resulting initially from pornography addiction. There were no cases of apostasy to speak of, no cases of drug use, no murder, or child abuse. 99% of all the meetings that they have as a high council seem to include some talk or issue relating to sexual misconduct resulting from pornography.

I wondered for a minute if we sometimes under estimate the size and scope that pornography is being used by the adversary in societies all over the Earth. In doing some research I came across the story of Selley Lubben. Shelly was a porn star for many years in the United States after being a prostitute for years before that. The story that she carries is a powerful one for sure. Now she has a non-profit organization called "Pink Cross Foundation" where she spends her efforts raising money and speaking as an anti-porn activist.

The reason I bring her up specifically is not that she is a Mormon, because I don't believe she is, but rather because there is a 5 part video series of one of her lectures on youtube. The picture quality is not great, but the message is worth being exposed to. I watched just the first part of her presentation and I think that her message is a valuable and worth sharing here. Her presentation can help us to see beyond the cover image that is presented about porn in the world at large. Let us not forget that each porn star, each porn director and writer, are our brothers and sisters. While much of their life right now is spent doing evil works, they can be healed and forgiven. There is life after porn for both those that make porn and those who watch it. The five different video segments are posted below. I know it seems long, but perhaps you can watch a different one each day this week leading up to General Conference this weekend.
 

mormon.org

I've been reading a book on Orrin Porter Rockwell lately and it's interesting to me, to put in context what I've been reading with my recent interactions on the new http://www.mormon.org website. There are these really neat videos of various mormons with various backgrounds showing the diversity of the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. How does this relate to Porter Rockwell? Well.... he was a colorful character and a faithful Latter Day Saint in his time. While there is a feeling sometimes of a homogenous group of people who call themselves mormon, reality couldn't be further from the truth. I think diversity of culture and background are healthy aspects to a uniting faith in Jesus Christ and am extremely satisfied to see the membership's diversity being shared through the videos on mormon.org. Check 'em out.

quote for the day

"Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting to see what they will have for lunch, Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote." - Ben Franklin

Focus on the positive

President Uchtdorf's first presidency message for this month approaches the subject of having a positive mental attitude in all that we do. "Looking for the good" is an idea that does seem to be a minority paradigm in the world today. I am not sure if this is the result of their being more bad than good in the world, or that negativism or pessimism is how people want to be - at least not intentionally. Pres. Uchtdorf asks the question, "Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for?"

This concept reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 6:21 which reads, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." When considering politics, being positive is an especially difficult task. In many ways being negative seems like shooting fish in a barrel, other times being negative feels more like habit. Some chose to do the same with religion, and morality as if to be moral is an inherently offensive position worthy of ridicule and a dissenting social position.

To further understand the value of being positive as a principle of godliness I wish to bring together the principle from D&C 58:42 which reads "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." God choses to remember sins no more, but no where in the scriptures have I read where God remembers our good deeds no more. This is not a position that bad things don't happen, or that sin doesn't exist. Instead, the focus seems to be more on our accomplishments, or our potential.

How do we find this balance in the world of politics or society?

This might as well have been spoken today, except the numbers are bigger

I do wish to point one thing out, Brother Ezra cites a quote from James Madison about his opposition to having the words "promote the general welfare" as listed as a duty of Congress. Madison warned that with these words, the government would take it upon themselves to pay teachers, educate children and house and feed the poor.

If care is not taken to understand what Madison is saying, it would be easy to take this quote out of context. Madison being a key player in the founding of the Bill of Rights, he would not have had issue with States and local governments doing these things. The issue is with the federal government taking it upon themselves. Free public education (developed locally) was blossoming in Madisons day for youth.

President Benson knew what was coming, look how close we are to financial insolvency today, because of federal entitlements, ie: wealth redistibution.

Something has been missing at the Spirit of the Law Blog

Something has been missing at the Spirit of the Law blog for sometime - the spirit part of the title. I recognize my own faults in being sucked into meaningless conversations focusing on the negative aspects of this world. After all most political conversations these days are about what the 'other guys' are doing wrong, not about what we are doing that is right or about real ideas that can make this world more than just a better place - but the place it ought to be.

I realize that we have attempted to discuss aspects of secular life then occasionally seek to squeeze that into a spiritual paradigm. This simply won't work - it hasn't worked. The following article from Elder Oaks given at BYU really brings to light the pursuits of secular and scholarly work as it relates to gospel study and gospel knowledge. I do hope that you take the time to read this as I believe every individual who claims to be a blogger, scholar, or writer of any kind while simultaneously considering themselves a "faithful member of the church" as I do, should be able to fully reconcile themselves to the teachings in this talk. After reading this talk, I realized that I was off in my blogging and writing pursuits and now seek to make changes accordingly.

I recognize that some who have commented on this blog have diminished our conclusions based on the idea that they are spiritually or religiously based and therefore not universally valid. I now say with all the kindness I can muster up, truth is not to be diminished simply due to some secular and therefore lacking standard of truth. I declare that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ on the Earth. As members of that church we embrace truth and do not fear it. This is why we should strive to find the truth, not from Fox News, or CNN, research statistics, or some blog - including ours. Rather we should understand that we are all in the pursuit of truth from God. And in that pursuit we often share ideas we feel embrace truth revealed by God who is the source of all truth.

As stated before, in times past we have brought forward a secular source and seek to cram or adjust that information to fit a spiritual context (sometimes we even stay at the secular). I would like to call for a change in priority. Let us put gospel ideals first, then, for the sake of discussion and in expanding our support of that truth, seek sources in the secular, political, or social realm, that are in general agreement or are application of that truth. I recognize the difficulty that this might pose - We might actually have to accept something as truth first; unalterable truth. However, understanding that no amount of scholarship can save us, I recognize that the gospel of Jesus Christ should be our priority; not the democrats or republicans. Ideals and truths can propel us into a great society but only when properly understood against the backdrop of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I encourage commenters and blog writers to embrace a similar perspective as we seek to move forward the cause of Christ, not a political ideal or temporal pursuit.

Books we should be reading

I wanted to share two videos from someone who gives an very valid perspective. Please watch the two videos and consider checking out Arthur Brooks.




It would seem that there are some gospel ideals in what he is presenting. If heaven was simply a distribution of blessings, a system where no one actually earned anything, then this life would be a place without happiness. In many ways I see the gospel perspective here being a very clear parallel to what Arthur is sharing economically.

The moral issue of the federal big 3

This video shows the lunacy of trying to solve our deficit and debt by cutting military and just about anything else without also cutting the big 3: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

This is immoral what we are bequeathing to our posterity.

Racism: Are they born that way?

The debate over gays being born with the tendency to be gay is an interesting one. We have debated this issue over and over again to the point that it is almost not something I want to bring up anymore. However, I started to think about other "intolerances" or preferences that exist in society, and wether or not the defense of these behaviors would be acceptable defenses if the "born that way" defense would work there as well.

I thought about racism. Racism is not always manifested as hatred for a race, it can also be preference for one race over another. Would we be okay or find it socially acceptable if people claimed that they should be accepted in society for being racist because they were born that way? Probably not.

Interestingly, as I did some research on this topic, there were many articles that came up regarding Lady Ga-Ga's album "Born That Way." A majority of Lady Ga-Ga's performance and culture is in support of gays - almost like the next Cher. Then I came across an article on Queer Today, a hub for "social justice activists" (gay supporters), that speaks to the damage that this long held position of being born gay has on society and on their own cause.

The article actually references the dangers of gays consigning themselves to the gay fate due to being born that way. Some of the gays don't buy that argument, so why should we? The article should be an interesting read for all sides.

Sage perspective on Energy

Since we have been discussing energy lately, here is one of the best talks I have heard in a long time about realistic energy potential for the future in North America.

The speaker is a man named Patrick Moore. He was one of the original founders of Greenpeace, but has left the organization he helped form and now campaigns on the opposite side of several positions he used to hold. He is a fascinating man to listen to. I find his approach to these issues to be quite measured and well thought out.

At what cost?

People all over the world are starting to feel the pains of the gas pump again due to tensions in the middle east. Gas prices in some parts of the country are reaching past 4.00 a gallon. This effects food prices, air travel, and just about every other aspect of our lives not just our car drive to work in the morning.

Environmentalists for some time have stood in the way of a viable and possible solution, drilling in Alaska or other parts of our own country. The argument against such is the abuse of nature, or it's bad for the environment.

However, us oil production would provide for more jobs (something we need right now), and greater control over our own gas supply (something we need right now).

Let's consider the value of this argument in light of another environmental argument - the increased use of electricity. What if 80 percent of our electricity came from the middle east or some foreign country? What if you couldn't turn on your lights or tv or in some cases heat water or cook food because Egypt didn't like their leader? What if Christmas lights had to be rationed because Lybia is in civil unrest?

As weird as that sounds environmentalists are advocating for greater use of electricity, an energy source that we as a people have influence on the supply of. Would electric cars be as attractive if the prices were as volatile as gasoline? I wonder....

Why defense of the 1st Amendment in protecting religious belief is so important an issue for our day

Click on the link to read a story I just came across. It is from a Northwest newspaper and is about a UK couple who have been denied their rights to be foster parents after having done so for decades. What is the reason for their denial by a UK court? They are traditional Christians who believe that homosexuality is sinful behavior.

Their crime is not in advocating violence against gays. It is not for advocating the stripping of their civil rights. Those would be justifiable reasons for concern into bringing state controlled children into the home. No, thier crime for which THEY are losing a civil liberty, the honor of helping kids, is for their unwavering conviction that gay actions are sinful.

Thanks to James for highlighting Elder Dallin H. Oaks university speech about the need to protect the rights of religious speech as codified in the 1st Amendment in the bill of rights. The more I read lately, the more it reveals itself to be an incredibly relevant warning for us in the United States, and for the world.

How much is ever enough?

The 2011 budget deficit is forecasted at $1.5 trillion. The top 1% of taxpayers in 2009 made approximately $790 billion. If we tax them at 100%, we still have a .71 trillion dollar deficit for 2011, in addition to having stripped down to the point of nothing all the wealth of over 3.5 million Americans.

Were we to cut the entire DOD budget down to zero, and also eliminate ALL Federal law enforcement functions, it still would not close the budget deficit, though it would come close. The irony is that those are the most core of federal services, and specifically enumerated for them to do. What is eating all the money are programs that should not even be at the federal level in the first place - entitlements. And debt.

How much is appropriate to take from our wealthiest, to pay for what we cannot afford? We could take 100% of the money from the top 5% of wage earners. That would actually come close to closing the current federal budget deficit - just for this year. Next year we would be in the same mess, and then there would be no upper crust to soak. The wealth would have to be stripped from the next strata of economic class. It also would not cover paying down any debt, and that P&I grows every year. It also would leave nearly 18 million Americans newly penniless. This would be the class with the most experience in creating new wealth, new jobs and businesses, and that they also have dependents to feed. Those 18 or so million are just the wage earners, not spouses and children.

So for those who are always talking about "soaking the rich" to pay for precious federal entitlements, how much is ever enough? Especially when depleting all the money from our entire social upper crust wont solve anything in our budget, beyond at best closing the deficit for one single year, and at a cost of robbing millions of people down to destitution?