Great and Spacious Building

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

  25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

  26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

  27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

  28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

  29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.

  30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

  31 And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.

  32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.

  33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not. (1 Nephi 8:24-33; emphasis added)

I have been meaning to post this for a while now but today’s article on World Net Daily prompted me to take action.  I believe that we should “liken the scriptures”<1> to our day and this section has stuck out to me since Proposition 8, which defined marriage in the state of California as being between one man and one woman.

Ever since Prop 8 passed, there has been considerable “mocking and pointing their fingers”<2> at those people who are willing to stand up for right and truth.  We also might notice that the loudest voices against us are coming from celebrities and so called famous people who’s “manner of dress [is] exceedingly fine.”<3>  I have also heard of people who “were ashamed”<4> at having supported Prop 8 or decided that it wasn’t in their own best interest to not support the leaders the Church because of fear or wanting to look tolerant of others. 

The great and spacious building is the pride of the world, according to 1 Nephi 11:36. This is something to always remember.  We should beware of pride.  Pride caused the downfall of the Nephite nation.   We should watch the people in their expensive clothes and large houses as they “point the finger of scorn”<5> at us as we stand for the truth according to the laws of God and “heed them not.”<6>

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what anyone on this earth says or does to us.  There is only One who’s judgment we should be worried about and that is God.

What do you think?

<1> 1 Nephi 19:23
<2>, <3> 1 Nephi 8:27
<4> 1 Nephi 8:28
<5>, <6> 1 Nephi 8:33

For more information, check our the articles listed below:

Same-Sex Marriage and Proposition 8
Protests Over Gay-Marriage Ban Escalate in California
Utah faces boycott after Mormon work for Prop 8
Tom Hanks Says Mormon Supporters of Proposition 8 'Un-American'
Tom Hanks Apologizes
Samuel L. Jackson Says Mormon Supporters of Prop 8 'Misinformed'
Mormon Temples in Utah, L.A. Targeted With White Powder
New Yorkers Protest Gay Marriage Ban Outside Mormon Church

Sources: LDS Scriptures, Fox News, World Net Daily

Taking a Stand… Way to Go!

I don’t believe we should have a Miss USA pageant but I just had to post this.  I don’t believe that women need to be paraded for everyone to see.  Women are daughters of our Heavenly Father and our physical bodies should be kept sacred.

If you have read much of this blog, you know my stand against same-sex marriage.  If you haven’t been reading my blog, check out these posts:

• The Effects of Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage
• Traditional Marriage

Anyways, back to the reason for this post.  I didn’t watch the Miss USA pageant but on Fox News today, there was an article discussing a response by the contestant from California.  The question was whether or not she believed in gay marriage.  This was her response:

“We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised.”

If I would have been watching that I would’ve stood up and clapped.  What a statement!  She stood up for what she believed and did it regardless of the consequences.  As a result, she didn’t win the competition.  I don’t think she should worry about that, she should be proud of herself for taking a stand.  Kudos to her.  I think we could all learn a little bit from what she did. 

Miss California Sparks Furor With Gay Marriage Comments on Miss USA Telecast

Source: Fox News

UPDATE: After the competition, the Fox News Channel’s Courtney Friel interviewed Miss California.  The one statement that stuck out to me is this: “…[U]ltimately, the greatest judge of…character was not the one who asked…the question, but the one who doesn't need a TV camera to watch her answer.”

Miss California: God was testing me

Source: World Net Daily

Talents

We all have talents.  We should all use those talents that God has given us.  Let me share a video of someone that has an amazing talent.  Her name is Susan Boyle.  I don’t know her.  I have never met her.  She has been given a talent that most of us only dream of.  She is such a humble example of being grateful to have this opportunity to share this talent with others.  That has always been her goal and that should always be our goal.  We should only use our talents for good and use them to help in service to others.

Let us all be grateful for our talents and make sure that we use them otherwise we might lose them.

Enjoy!

Town Hall for Hope

I know this is not necessarily LDS or gospel related but it is very important due to the current state of things in the country. We should not participate in this recession. We need to have our hope not in the government but in Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We need to pray to God and ask for guidance then get off our knees and go to work. Enjoy the video!



Source: Town Hall for Hope

New Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Easter Video

This is a VERY powerful video about Christ, His death and glorious resurrection. Please share this with others! Excerpts were taken from Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk given during the April 2009 General Conference.

WE Surround Them

Do any of you ever feel that you are not being heard by our politicians? Well, here is something that you can do. This was taken from the Glenn Beck show, the third most listened to radio show in all of America. If you believe in the principles that this country was founded on follow the instructions listed and let's see if we can make a difference and help us all realize that we are not alone.

WE Surround Them

Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it?

Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore?

Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach…as if you’re completely alone?

If so, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull the curtain away you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all.

We surround them.

So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common. I urge you to read the instructions at the end for how to help make your voice heard.

The Nine Principles

1. America is good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

You Are Not Alone

If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone. Please send a digital version of your picture to: wesurroundthem@foxnews.com and then stay tuned to the radio and television shows over the coming weeks to see how we intend to pull back the curtain.

(Source: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21018/)

If you want to share this with your friends, family, associates, acquaintances, or anyone, click on the link below to download a word document that you can print out and share with them.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/557107/You%20Are%20Not%20Alone.doc

Also, here is the video of Glenn Beck on his new show on Fox News talking about this very thing:

Unity

In this time of uncertainty in the world, the most important thing you can do is have unity. What kind of unity you might ask? The kind of unity that directs each of us to do the right thing. The kind of unity that directs people to help one another and become better. This kind of unity only comes from living the gospel and following after the example of the one true unifier, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us all try to be more like the Savior. If we do so, we will become as the Nephites of old after the Savior appeared unto them. It was said of them that "they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift. [T]here was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people" and "surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God." (4 Nephi 1:3,15-16)