John Welch: Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch

I wish to sit here and list all the different things that I liked about John W. Welch's presentation recently aired on BYUTV, instead, I will just post the video and strongly suggest you give an hour of your day to this presentation. One of my favorite subjects is his section on freedom as not just the ability to do what one wants, but that true freedom is the ability to do what we ought.

Originally given May 17, 2011, this presentation is entitled, "Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch." Enjoy, I know you will.

Jenkem: A Sign the Second Coming is near....

Traveling the AM radio dial through the variety of talk radio programming can often be enlightening. As for this Saturday, this was no exception. I came across a piece done on the ManCow Radio Program that talked about Jenkem. For those that don't know, Jenkem is a "drug" that surfaced around the 1990's.

Jenkem, also known as human waste drug, or "Butt Hash," is a supposed to be a hallucinogenic drug made primarily from fermented human waste. Yes, I said, human waste. Initially considered to be an internet hoax, news reports have started surfacing that individuals have actually tried the idea.


In case you don't believe me, here is a news story on the subject. It both explains the way the news was presented, and the way that people dismissed it: For those that watched the story you might find some interesting things presented. While the story itself says that there is a hoax to the original story, there are those who have actually gone out and tried Jenkem!!!! Now, I realize that Jenkem is not widely used, and is certainly something reserved for the unbelievably slow. However, I am depressed to think that anyone gave this a try, and I am even more saddened that the news bought it. In any case, the idea of a drug called "Butt Hash" is still quite amusing to my sometimes immature mind.

The honor of abortion?

In a recent article, entertainer Chelsea Handler admitted to having an abortion when she was 16 years old. While some of her fans were disappointed with this information, I was more disappointed in the rationale and reasoning that was given for the abortion, and the sense of honor and dignity she was attempting to give to her decision.

In the article Handler is quoted as saying, "I had an abortion when I was 16. Because that's what I should have done. Otherwise I would now have a 20-year-old kid. Those are things that people shouldn't be dishonest about." There is so much here to hold issue with, where do I begin...first of all the abortion.

Baring any evidence or claim that she was molested (which she wasn't, at least not any resulting in this pregnancy), or that it was incest (which it was also not), then the abortion is a violation against nature, against God and his laws and principles, and therefore should be morally equal to coming out and saying 'I killed my newborn baby because I didn't want it.'

Second, she claims that having an abortion is something she should have done. As if she was being morally compelled to do the "right thing" or that the decision somehow made rational sense to do so. Lets assume that there is a rational reason for such a thing...what was her claim of rationale - because she would now have a 20 year old kid....I'm waiting for the rationale.

So what if you would have had a 20 year old kid?! People grow up, that is not a crime against nature. That is the natural process of life. Then, as if to hold claim to some moral accomplishment in her acts, she said that this is not something to be dishonest about. This statement not only implies that there are things that you should lie about, but that somehow honesty trumps murder in the moral grand scheme of things.

Bravo Chelsea Handler. I didn't think you could produce any further reasons for me to not like you or your show, but you went ahead and did it anyway. The only bonus that can come from such an experience is the hope that you will have fewer fans to influence in the future.

Obama got SCHOOLED!!!

Wow, today's speech with Netanyahu was a shocker! What? You mean the leader of Isreal isn't going to pander and bow to the "annointed one" Barack Hussein Obama. What an embarrassment to have the leader of America pander to Palestine and command Isreal to make concessions.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama is a fool. He doesn't understand the realities of the world, and it was shocking to see him try to appease the Arab world by telling Isreal to make concessions with Hamas and revert to their 1967 borders - and even more shocking and satisfying was Netanyahu basically telling Obama to go to hell (politely of course).

More Mormon Nudists... again

Last night on the local CBS news affiliate in Salt Lake City, a story about our most favorite subject here at the Spirit of The Law Blog (should comment count be any indicator of favoritism); Mormon Nudists, or Naturists.

Since the local affiliate does not have an embed feature on their video player I will simply share the link to the page with the story here.

A few interesting points were brought out in the story that were either unintentional, or just simply a revealing part of the practice itself. In the story was "featured" a man who claimed to be a high priest and in the bishopric of a ward. His interview was with the usual blacked out silhouette and the voice was altered to protect identity. The irony is that the reporter quotes this individual as one who will challenge anyone who questions his lifestyle. Right, that is why he is hiding and living a secret double life. Does that sound like a challenge? Or does that sound like running away?

The piece also showed, full face, two gentlemen that have left the faith as a result of the conflict between the church and nudism. When push came to shove, these men preferred being naked to their faith. One might argue that these are men that are just following what they believe. I don't deny that, but what is it that they believe? From my perspective these men have demonstrated the true hypocrisy of their position.

It is the claim that being naked does not have to be sexual. They also claim that they can be closer to god by being naked. While I believe neither of these claims to be truth, I simply ask, where is the commandment to do such a thing? Did god ever say, thou shalt be naked? Was not Jesus Christ the way the truth and the life to be brought unto the Father, not nudity? I find their position to be inherently selfish as the act gratifies their own base desires. While Christ "went about doing good" these individuals chose to pollute the fountains of living water by engaging in a practice that to their own admission "did not feel right."

I say to each his own as far as the things of this world. But when it comes to the Church, to our membership, and the sanctity of our temple bodies, there is simply no excuse for such behavior.

What are you doing for your rapture party?

So, some evangelical Christian came out and said that the end of the world, or the second coming of Christ, often referred to as the "rapture" will be in three days; May 21st. In response to this the worlds atheists are planing to have some rapture parties.

Sure this is just another excuse to party, and it kills the second bird by pissing off believing christians, but it actually is a pretty neat idea. Think about it: Option 1 - The Rapture happens and the end of the world drama unfolds, why not go out with a bang. Option 2 - The Rapture doesn't happen and they get to celebrate one more religion that will slowly crumble to the ground as the false prophets lies are exposed. Either way, a party works.

It reminds me of the post we did a while back about the email service called You've Been Left Behind. This is a site offering a service to have pre-programed emails sent to a predetermined list of recipients in the event that you are taken up in the rapture.... after all, if you are gone, who is going to be there to tell all the sinners where you went? In case you want to know the specifics, here is how the website offers this service:

We have set up a system to send documents by the email, to the addresses you provide, 6 days after the "Rapture" of the Church. This occurs when 3 of our 5 team members scattered around the U.S fail to log in over a 3 day period. Another 3 days are given to fail safe any false triggering of the system."

Seeing as this service might come in handy in the next three days, now would be the time to sign up... before its too late.

Hypocritical Moment of the week: Mike Huckabee

I don't always agree with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, but there does seem like a big dose of hypocrisy happening over at Fox News and Mike Huckabee. As a self-proclaimed pastor/evangelist, Mike Huckabee, a "follower of Christ," it does seem strange to on one hand play bass guitar with Ted Nuggent, performing a song with extremely immoral lyrics, then to turn around and say that you are not running for president because of your dedication to Jesus Christ.

For those of you interested in the segment from the show, you can watch it below:

Then I think of all the nasty things that Mike Huckabee has said in the past about Mormons and I have to say that I am glad he is not running for President. The strangest part of all this is that he presents so many others as crazy nut jobs, but somehow he finds the time to speak as a "follower of Christ" while in the same show rocking out to a song about sex, with a gun crazed, extremist in Ted Nuggent who screams for the president to sit on his guns and for the secretary of state to have sexual relations with a machine gun. Not exactly the type of guest worthy of bringing on your show with the introductory endorsement that Ted Nuggent was given.

I may not agree with the things that Mike Huckabee disagrees with, but that doesn't make Huckabee right in his reasoning or his actions. In fact, I find his actions to be hypocritical at best.

That lady got class.

‘Burn a Bush’? Michelle Obama invites rapper Common to a poetry reading

First Lady Michelle Obama has scheduled a poetry evening for Wednesday, and she’s invited several poets, including a successful Chicago poet and rapper, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., AKA “Common.” However, Lynn is quite controversial, in part because his poetry includes threats to shoot police and at least one passage calling for the “burn[ing]” of then-President George W. Bush.

Back in 2003, First Lady Laura Bush held a poetry evening, and she invited several poets to reprise the work of Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. Although none of those poets had urged violence against a president, Bush canceled the event after left-of-center poets protested and threatened to disrupt the event.

Here’s a sample of Dickinson’s work that could have been presented at Bush’s event:

I’m nobody! Who are you?

I’m nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us — don’t tell!

They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

Here’s a sample of Common’s work, transcribed from a 2007 video with 837,613 viewers on YouTube. Students, please compare and contrast the two poems. You’ll get extra credit for counting the death threats. There is no extra credit for identifying spelling errors. By the way, ‘Uzi’ is slang for a compact machine gun:

A Letter to the Law

Dem boy wanna talk… [indistinguishable]

Whatcha gon do if ya got one gun?

I sing a song for the hero unsung

with faces on the mural of the revolution

No looking back cos’ in back is what’s done

Tell the preacher, god got more than one son

Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton

I walk like a warrior,

from them I won’t run

On the streets, they try to beat us like a drum

In Cincinnati, another brother hung

A guinea won’t see the sun

with his family stung

They want us to hold justice

but you handed me none

The same they did to Kobe and Michael Jackson

make them the main attraction

Turn around and attack them

Black gem in the rough

You’re rugged enough

Use your mind and nine-power, get the government touch

Them boys chat-chat on how him pop gun

I got the black strap to make the cops run

They watching me, I’m watching them

Them dick boys got a lock of cock in them

My people on the block got a lot of pok* in them

and when we roll together

we be rocking them to sleep

No time for that, because there’s things to be done

Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come

from project building

Seeing a fiend being hung

With that happening, why they messing with Saddam?

Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button

Killing over oil and grease

no weapons of destruction

How can we follow a leader when this a corrupt one

The government’s a g-unit and they might buck young black people

Black people In the urban area one

I hold up a peace sign, but I carry a gun.

Peace, ya’ll.”


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/09/burn-a-bush-michelle-obama-invites-rapper-common-to-a-poetry-reading/#ixzz1LubfWVoy

High Five for an inspired man!

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

In addition I'd like to add that Obama is no MLK no matter how much he attempts to position himself as such -

"There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and outside agitators. But the Christians pressed on in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven" called to obey God rather than man. Small in number they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide."

Obama supports abortion, partial birth abortion, and supported infanticide in Illinois as a state senator.

Torture - making the best of a bad thing?

Some have claimed that intelligence used to find and eventually kill Osama Bin Laden came from GTMO and the torture of detainees. There is not claim that I am aware of that this version of torture was the "enhanced" or water-board version of torture that has caught so much attention in recent years, but torture/interrogation techniques brought forth the information. I was under the impression that such was not the case, but nevertheless, what if torture were used? Does the end justify the means in this case?

One article sates that torture in any form is morally repugnant. Then again, so is terrorism, which is worse? Often times the choices we make in this life can be between two bad or difficult choices. Conversely, as Elder Oaks states, "As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all."

Each choice carries a weight of both negative and positive consequences. In the "agency scale" of torture to terrorism, is there a good choice? A Better Choice? A Best Choice? If so, what are those choices?

He's dead - Bin Laden is dead...can we forgive him?

Most of the world has heard by now that Barack Obama has announced the death of Osama Bin Laden, most wanted terrorist for over 9 years. Many took to the street in celebration of the announcement of his death. I even found myself relieved, if not somewhat happy at the news.

I realize that there is justice coming his way from our Heavenly Father, but I could not push aside the idea that Christ died and suffered for Bin Laden's acts too. That somewhere, deep down, I should understand that Osama Bin Laden is my brother, and that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love still love him. I would imagine they are deeply disappointed, but there is still love in their souls.

I see that love from God and His Son, and I recognize the celebrations around the world at his death, and I observe a huge gap in behavior and response. Understandable, as I said, I myself was borderline ready to set off fireworks at the news. Perhaps this is just another moment in life where I can see, not just in my life, but in the society in which we live, where we are at spiritually as a people that we find closure in death for those whom we want such justice. Yet we are also so afraid of that justice in our own lives. We sometimes fear death for fear of what justice might come upon ourselves while simultaneously wanting that punishment on others.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10 reads, "Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."

Now the real question is, can we forgive Osama Bin Laden because if not, greater sin lies within each of us. That is a huge heaping pile of sin that I cannot support.