LeGrand L. Baker

Blog

  • Temptation

    Temptation is an opportunity to sin to which we are strongly attracted. We have opportunity to commit many sins which we find not at all attractive. Why the difference? What tempts us is our own desires. If we have thought upon some act, some object, some experience, and have thought how delicious that would be, we have thus desired that thing. Having desired something, we have lowered the barriers of judgment and good sense which normally keep us out of trouble. When that trouble suddenly stares us in the face as we turn some corner, we embrace it because we have already embraced its idea. The only cure for sinning is to purify our desires, to search with honesty the depths of our souls, and to reject every evil thing whose idea we have ever embraced.

  • Bondage

    Human bondage: The condition wherein a given human being lacks the ability to choose and/or to act relative to a certain opportunity, as seen by an omniscient observer or as approximated by human understanding Bondage is the complement of agency.

    1.   Physical bondage

    Synonyms: Slavery, serfdom, imprisonment

    • Definition:
    • a.   The location, change of location, and physical activities of a normal adult human being are controlled by some agency other than his own will.
    • b.   A person is deprived of a physical body and thus cannot do those things which a physical body makes possible.

    Ultimate: Death

    • Examples:
    • Russian peasant, 1784, 1984
    • U.S. Negro in Georgia, 1820
    • Feudal serf, England, 1100
    • Inmate in a penitentiary.
    • An unembodied spirit.
    • Drug addict.
    • Non-examples:
    • A small child being carried by his or her mother.
    • A patient in intensive care.

    Controls: Food, freedoms, guns, chains, iron curtains, promises.

    Opposite: Freedom to go anywhere and to do anything that can be done physically.

    Release: Increase of strength and/or might.

    2.   Intellectual bondage

    Synonyms: Intellectual blindness, being brain-washed.

    Definition: The knowledge, ideas, and thinking of a normal human being are controlled by other agent(s), possibly against his will and possibly unbeknownst to him.

    Ultimate: Lobotomy

    • Examples:
    • Cuban subject for whom all media presentations and educational opportunities are carefully controlled.
    • A member of a church who is prevented from learning of other churches and religions.
    • Non-examples:
    • Students in a university class who are exposed to a variety of ideas and positions on the same subject.
    • A child who believes his father and mother, knowing other beliefs which other people have which differ from his parents’ beliefs.

    Controls: Opportunities to learn, shame, rejection, grades.

    Opposite: To have a thorough understanding of all options on an issue. To have a complete understanding of all existence, of all possibilities and of all issues.

    Release: Increase of mind.

    3.   Emotional bondage

    Synonyms: Neurosis, psychosis, self-pity, self-justification.

    Definition: The feelings of an adult human being are self-controlled to create misery, the condition of an unhappily divided self. This self-destruction is often performed unconsciously, unbeknownst to that person himself.

    Ultimate: Insanity

    • Examples:
    • One who is enraged at the economic injustices of his society.
    • One who feels unloved.
    • One who is bitter about how his family treats him.
    • Non-examples:
    • Feeling temporary grief at the loss of a loved one.
    • Feeling sorrow for one’s sins.
    • Feeling sorrow for another person’s sins.

    Controls: Authorities, culture, which teach a person that he is not responsible for his own feelings, that feelings are just things which “happen” to a person.

    Opposite: A person who through correct ideas and habits has achieved the ability to feel any way he desires to feel, regardless of any influence his environment may have on him.

    Release: Increase of mind to understand every person feels only that which he desires to feel (speaking of emotion, not of sensation), plus increase of self-discipline to feel only positive emotions (gratitude, love, forgiveness).

    4.   Spiritual bondage

    Synonyms: Spiritual death, spiritual impotence, the bondage of sin.

    Definition: The spiritual experiences and powers of a person are limited to evil sources because of his sins.

    Ultimate: To suffer the second death.

    • Examples:
    • One who prays and receives no answer from the Lord.
    • One who lays his hands on to heal, but nothing good happens.
    • One who wonders but cannot gain a testimony of the Restored Gospel.
    • Non-examples:
    • One who gives up a promising career to fulfill a church calling.
    • One who does everything which the scriptures suggest.

    Controls: Pleasure taken for its own sake, social power and esteem, physical strength used selfishly, indulging in evil thoughts and feelings, not using one’s might to serve God.

    Opposite: To have a fullness of spiritual gifts and spiritual power such that the powers of Satan and the powers of the earth can restrain that person no longer.

    Release: Increase of heart, might, mind and strength through forgiveness of sins (thus not to have to carry the weight of those sins and to suffer the lack of spiritual opportunity which those sins make necessary). This forgiveness is made possible only through the atonement of Jesus Christ and is available to men only through accepting and living by the laws and ordinances of the Restored Gospel.

    5.   The bondage of desire

    Synonyms: Selfishness, perversion, self-indulgence.

    Definition: The situation of a divided person, part of whom desires that which is good, the other part desires that which is evil. Desiring that which is evil is the bondage of desire.

    • Examples:
    • A medical doctor who smokes.
    • A poor man who desires to be righteous, but who lusts after is neighbor’s wealth.
    • A missionary who desires to help people understand the Restored Gospel but who thinks lascivious thoughts.
    • Non-examples:
    • A poor man who wishes he could help his equally poor neighbor.
    • An ill person who desires to have the strength to fill a mission.

    Controls: Habit, past history.

    Opposite: One who has first reduced his needs and desires to zero, and then has come to desire with all of his heart that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord.

    Release: Increase of understanding until one understands that which is good and right, then increase of self-discipline until one desires only that which is good and right. This is the achieving of a pure heart.

    6.   The ultimate (and independent variable) bondage is the bondage of desire. The bondage of desire is always the self-imposed bondage of desiring evil. As a Latter-day Saint disciplines himself to reduce his own personal needs (desires) to nothing, and at the same time learns fervently to desire those godly things which are shown to him by the Holy Ghost, he begins to be one person (to have integrity), to be a whole person (to be sanctified), and to be a new person, born again as a child and servant of Jesus Christ. That process is of course partly unavailable to a person who does not have the opportunity to accept the Restored Gospel. They may learn this unselfishness and implement it to a degree through the light of Christ, but one needs the gift of the Holy Ghost to find the fullness.

    7.   But if a person hears and accepts the Restored Gospel and then is born again of the water and of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit then teachers him what is good and right that he may be able to desire what is good and right in all things eventually. He then has the opportunity to achieve a pure heart. A pure heart is a heart so trained to choose only that which is good and right that it never deviates from that choice. That training is done by each individual person as he allows himself only to desire that which is good and right. This is the agency of man: to choose what is good and right through the Savior, or to choose captivity and death through the flesh (and with the help of Satan). A pure heart is not the result of one such choice. It is the result of a long, unbroken series of such choices. Another way to describe such a long series is to say it is to learn to love the Lord with all of our heart, might, mind and strength.

    8.   A person who has a pure heart is able to bring himself to do the very best he knows to do in any and every situation of choice in his life. The first thing which a pure heart enables him to do is to gain control of his feelings so that he never feels any emotions except gratitude, love and forgiveness. This sets him free emotionally. Being free emotionally, he can then of his own present power minimize the intellectual and physical bondage in his life. If the Restored Gospel is available to him, it is possible for him to achieve elimination of the spiritual bondage altogether. But what can a person do if he does not know the Restored Gospel? He can do the best that he knows to do. The best one knows is to respond to the light of Christ rather than to the adversary. As one responds to that light, desiring and choosing the best he knows to do, one begins to feel better about himself and to be able to see the truth of things about himself and the Savior more clearly. Eventually that spiritual discipline of doing the best that he knows to do will lead him to accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ when it is presented to him. Through the Restored Gospel and its ordinances (through the gifts and mercy of the Savior), he may obtain eventual release from every degree of each bondage. To know the truth is to become free, and to be free indeed.

    9.   In the beginning man is not free. Each person suffers two versions of each kind of bondage except the bondage of desire, which is always totally self-imposed. The other bondages consist of bondage imposed upon him by others and also of bondage imposed upon himself by himself. The real freedom which this world affords it to desire and to choose what is right, this to be released from all self-imposed bondage. He who thus releases himself is then a candidate to be released from all other bondage by the Savior.

    10. To reject the light of the Savior is to reject all of the good in one’s self, to reject righteousness, to reject freedom, and to reject increase. In other words, to reject that light is to be damned. Because our God is what and who he is, that damnation is always self-imposed. We conclude that though every human being is born to self-awareness, each being is fettered in the chains of multiple bondages, and ultimately each of these bondages is self-imposed.

    11. He who avails himself of the freedom to increase through the Savior will be able to enjoy increase forever, even eternal increase. All of which begins with the freedom to desire what is good and right.

  • What is the most important event recorded in the Book of Mormon?

    Monthly Message, June 2023

    This one is really a no-brainer. It is, of course, the visit of Jesus Christ to the Nephites in the land Bountiful during the year after his resurrection. His teachings there were similar to his messages to the people of Judea during his mortal ministry. But there are certain important changes in the record of those teachings as compared with the record of the same Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Bible. For example, the New Testament says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” the Book of Mormon account says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The Bible account seems to laud being poor in spirit, and there are many guesses as to what that meant. But the Book of Mormon account is clear as to what is meant by being poor in spirit. It means not to have the Holy Spirit with one. But if one who does not have the Holy Spirit with them will come unto Christ through the ordinance path of faith, repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that person will become rich in the Holy Spirit, which will make it possible for them to inherit the Celestial Kingdom, heaven.

    And the Savior gave the Nephites important prophecies about the future of their own nation and the restoration of his Gospel and Church in the latter days.

    Thus the most important event recorded in the Book of Mormon is Christ’s visit to the Nephites.

    But what might be some of the other important events recorded in the Book of Mormon? Please make your own list. But do consider the importance of the following seven events.

    1. Lehi’s departure into the wilderness. This event is important because it is the record of Lehi and his family being blessed because of Lehi’s bold willingness to testify of Christ to the people of Jerusalem at a time of their great wickedness. The miraculous journey they made under the Lord’s direction to inherit the special promised land which Lehi and his descendants would inherit is specially instructive to all who would receive a blessing at the Lord’s hand.
    2. The story of Abinadi. This prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ is a powerful witness of the life and mission of the Savior. He tells of the relationship of the Ten Commandments to the Gospel and delineates the relationship of the Father to the Son. He sealed his testimony with his life blood in his martyrdom. He had at least one convert: Alma, who led a group of his converts back to the main body of the Nephites, then became the leader of the church in Zarahemla.
    3. The conversion of Alma the Younger. Alma, the son of Alma, was a persecutor of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ, along with the sons of the King Mosiah, and did great damage to the church. His father and other faithful members fasted and prayed for him, and he was converted back to Christ. He succeeded his father as leader of the Church and did great good for the Nephite people over many years.
    4. The Destructions at the Death of Christ. As foretold by Samuel the Lamanite, there was darkness, great storms, and great destruction in the promised land at the time of the Savior’s death in Jerusalem. This cataclysm destroyed the more wicked part of the people and ravaged the face of the land. Those persons who survived this period of no light and destruction were the more righteous of the Nephites. This cataclysm helped to prepare them to meet the Savior later that year.
    5. Two Hundred Years of Zion. After the visit of the Savior to the Nephites, the apostles sent by the Savior converted all of the Nephites and Lamanites to the Gospel, but more importantly, got them to actually live the Gospel. Thus they were able to establish a Zion, a people who were of one heart, of one mine, who kept the commandments of Christ and had no poor among them. A Zion has been established on this earth since the Fall of Adam only a few precious times. This was a most noteworthy achievement. We today must establish a Zion before the Savior returns in his Second Coming.
    6. The Destruction of the Nephites at the Battle of Cumorah. The Nephites had been warned since their arrival in the promised land that if they were not righteous, they would be scourged by the Lamanites. They finally became so wicked that they were more wicked than the Lamanites. Then, as promised and prophesied, they were utterly destroyed. Even so it will be in these latter days: The Gospel of Christ will be preached to every person on earth, and those who will not heed and repent will be destroyed, burned at the Second Coming of Christ.
    7. The Vision of the Brother of Jared. The Brother of Jared was raised up as a prophet at the time of the tower of Babel and was given a special dispensation of the Gospel of Christ. One of the ways that Christ prepared him was to give him a vision of what would happen in the future of the peoples of the earth. This vision shows several things: That the future is foreknown to God, that full righteousness is a rare thing, and that God’s purposes are always fulfilled.

    What do you think are the most noteworthy events recorded in the Book of Mormon?

  • What is the most important gift of God to mankind mentioned in the Book of Mormon?

    Monthly Messages, May 2023

    The most important gift? What a value judgment. But let us see if there are reasons it is so.

    The most important gift of God to man mentioned in the Book of Mormon I believe to be the gift of charity. Another way to name that gift is to say it is the gift of a pure heart, for only a pure heart can love fully and purely, which is charity, which is the pure love that Christ has for all others. Quoting Moroni 7:43–48: “And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

    Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.”

    There is an important reason why charity, pure love, is the greatest gift of God to man:

    Any human being can be saved from the penalty due for his having sinned only through his having faith in Jesus Christ. That penalty due includes suffering for those sins the same amount of suffering the person caused in others through that person’s sinning. And He must also make restitution for having wounded or deprived those whom he has sinned against.

    The person cannot be forgiven of having sinned until the suffering caused by the sinning has been met by an equal amount of suffering and until the person(s) he has sinned against are fully recompensed for the damage done to them by those sins and he or she remains as if he or she had never been sinned against. A person who has sinned must do all he or she can to repair the damage done to others through his or her sinning, but no one except Christ can fully make those sinned against whole, as if they had never been sinned against. And they must suffer an equal amount to the suffering they have caused others through sinning unless they come unto Christ and keep covenant with him. Then the suffering of the Savior in the Atonement answers the law of justice by his suffering, and the Savior forgives the one who has come unto him in covenant keeping faith.

    The great thing about the gift of charity, which is the pure love of Christ, is that the person who receives this gift no longer sins. This person who has charity has become like the Savior. The greatest thing we know about the Savior is that because he does his Father’s will in all things, he never sins. The work of Christ is to help us to become as he is and sin no longer, and also to help us make payment for sins we have committed. Only after those two things are accomplished can anyone be exalted. And for both we must come unto Jesus Christ and become his little child, “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19)

    So, to gain this gift is to become everything, and not to attain it still to be nothing. Our Father and Savior do not want us to remain as nothing, but are trying to share with us the most important thing they have, charity, which is a pure heart.

    And you wondered why faith in Christ is not the greatest gift? Charity is the fullness of faith. So faith is not a wrong answer. It is just that a little faith does not do the job. Only faith that serves God and neighbor with all one’s heart, might, mind and strength can be the greatest gift. And the name for that fullness of faith in Christ is charity, the pure love of Christ from Christ.

  • Report on General Conference April 2023

    Monthly Messages, April 2023

    Noting the encouragements to “do.” (Knowing without doing is a waste.)

    Saturday Morning

    • Elder Gary Stevenson: Make Easter more important in your family. Focus on the Book of Mormon account of the risen Lord.
    • Sister Bonnie Cordon: Never give up an opportunity to testify of the Christ.
    • Elder Quentin Cook: When you are challenged, keep going with faith in Christ.
    • Elder Gerrit Gong: Minister to others, caring, in the pure love of Christ. Do more, not less.
    • Elder Quentin Cook: Be diligent in gathering Israel.
    • Elder Allen Haynie: Follow the living prophet.
    • President Henry B. Eyring: Find personal peace through faith in Christ. If you love the Lord, keep His commandments.

    Saturday Afternoon

    • Elder Dale Renlund: Follow the covenant path to overcome the world.
    • Elder Peter Meurs: Put your trust in the Savior.
    • Elder Randall Bennett: Prepare carefully to receive your patriarchal blessing, then treasure it.
    • Elder Craig Christensen: Repent to receive joy.
    • Elder Evan Schmutz: Feast upon the doctrine of Christ and trust in him through prayer to endure suffering.
    • Elder Benjamin De Hoyos: Trust in Christ’s healing power.
    • Elder Dieter Uchtdorf: Christ will show you your weaknesses, then repent to bless your children.

    Saturday Evening

    • Elder Mark Bragg: Have faith in Christ to bring power into your life.
    • Elder Milton Camargo: Always remember Him.
    • Elder K Brett Nattress: Remember that He always loves us.
    • Elder Juan Uceda: Minister to Christ’s children as He would.

    Sunday Morning

    • Elder D Todd Christofferson: Become one in Christ.
    • Sister Camille Johnson: Believe in Christ, that He is risen.
    • Elder Ulisses Soares: Accept the love and peace the Savior tries to give us.
    • Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita; Receive a patriarchal blessing.
    • Elder Neal Andersen: Trust in God.
    • Elder Kevin Duncan: Be worthy to be admitted into His presence.
    • President Russel M Nelson: Never throw anything in anger. Be an example of compassion with those we disagree with. Love your enemies and be a peacemaker. Seek after that which is virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy. Change the world by modifying it with dignity. In any contention, cast Satan out of your midst. Act as Christ would, and the Lord will magnify your efforts. Examine and mend your relationship with others.

    Sunday Afternoon

    • President Dallin H Oaks: Pay special attention to the words of Christ in the scriptures.
    • President Russell M. Ballard: Don’t procrastinate the promptings you receive from the Holy Ghost.
    • Elder Ronald Rasband: Have oil in your lamp.
    • Elder Vern Stanfill: Do your best and don’t worry about perfection.
    • Elder Mark Bassett: Do all you can do, then the Lord will do the rest.
    • Elder Ahmad Corbett: Be healed by accepting the doctrine of Christ.
    • Elder David Bednar: Abide in Christ by making Him the center of your life.
    • President Russell M. Nelson: Study the Come Follow Me material. Come unto Christ so that He can heal you from sin, sadness, wounds. Learn more about the Savior’s atonement and love. Turn to Christ, follow Him, trust in Him. Worship in the temple. Find enduring happiness in Christ.

  • What is the most important spiritual warning in the Book of Morning?

    Monthly Messages, April 2023

    The most important spiritual warning? What a value judgment. But there are reasons why it might be so. The spiritual warning is as follows:

    “They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.” (2 Nephi 28: 14–15.) “Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of Nephi, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.” (Moroni 8:27) The great spiritual enemy of righteousness is pride.

    Pride is valuing oneself and what one is thinking and doing above and beyond reality. It is a prime example of listening to Satan and sadly misjudging ourselves. Our Savior would have us come down in the depths of humility and be as a little child. Satan prompts us to lift ourselves up in our own eyes and think that we are more than we really are, especially when we put someone else down in the process. Satan wants us to think we are justified in whatever we want, especially when it involves taking advantage over someone else.

    Pride has four great faults:

    1. It does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.
    2. It keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves.
    3. It justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense.
    4. It blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship which is essential to salvation.

    1. Pride does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those as gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.

    The “natural man,” a human being who has not been rescued from spiritual death through faith

    in Jesus Christ, usually thinks of himself or herself as a product of nature. Blind chance has brought him or her into this world, has given all that the person has, and therefore there is no gratitude due to anyone for any advantages one may have

    2. Pride keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves.

    Our only real enemy is the character weaknesses that allow us to break the commandments of God. One part or Christ’s mission is to direct the Holy Spirit to labor with each of us to give up our weaknesses and gain the strength to become like Jesus Christ. Then we also will only do the will of the Father. Then the world will be at peace, and we will have a heaven on earth. If we would each give up our pride in our sinning and become like little children, meek, submissive, obedient to the Savior, then the millennium would come without the need to cleanse the earth of all pride and arrogance.

    3. Pride justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense.

    The proud person thinks to himself “I deserve what I want” and proceeds to take what he wants by any means. This proud person knows not God, but does listen to the voice of Satan. Satan assures him what he does indeed deserve what he wants. And Satan always confirms him in his selfish desires, a most desirable companion to those who see themselves as the most important person on the scene.

    4. Pride blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship which is essential to salvation.

    The proud person cannot receive the ministrations of the Holy Spirit because he does not want to do so. He wants to see himself as more, not less, and the Holy Spirit always enjoins one to be humble, as a little child, and to sacrifice to bless others. But the proud person always wants to be more, not less, and to help someone else only if the deed will redound to his own glory.

    Remember: The ultimate pride is to reject Jesus Christ and to pretend that we don’t need Him.

  • What is the most important temporal warning in the Book of Mormon?

    March 2023

    The most important temporal warning? What a value judgment! But there are reasons why it might be so. The temporal warning is as follows:

    “And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites. And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they will be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of the saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet avenge them not. Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby you may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that you shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of the secret combinations which shall be among you; or wo be unto it because of the blood of those who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up. For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.” (Ether 8:20–25)

    Through Moroni the Lord here plainly warns us that the opposition to the work of Christ is deadly, deliberate and well organized. This force is world-wide, operating in every nation, kindred, tongue and people. It seeks to enslave the majority of humans for the benefit of a few who enjoy power, prestige, and wealth. This force has no moral scruples. For it, the end justifies the means. Some of the reasons why it is the greatest temporal threat to mankind are as follows: 1. This threat is organized from the Spirit world, inspired and guided by Satan. 2. It will be a major player on the world scene until the Savior comes in his Second Coming. 3. Those who cooperate and participate in this programmed evil are the tares of the earth who will be burned at the Second Coming of Christ.

    It is important to recognize three aspects of this threat to the peoples of this earth. It is a conspiracy because many of its players and supporters meet in secret to plan their moves (“conspiracy” means to breathe together). 1. One of its main ploys is to ridicule conspiracy theories. 2. This movement is actually a religion, with all the trappings of a religion. It is currently the dominant religion on earth. 3. This movement seeks control over all of culture and civilization.

    1. One of its main ploys is to ridicule conspiracy theories.

    The Theosophical Society of America offers this comment on a book about conspiracy theories: “Conspiracy Theories, then, are far from harmless. Such wrongheaded thinking can be pernicious, and ultimately downright destructive. Cassam runs down a list: antivaxxers; anticredentialism in general; “the death of expertise”; Brexit; anti-Semitism on both the left and the right. Therefore Conspiracy theories promote symbols and beliefs that have consequences unforeseen by moderates. Furthermore, they “diminish the credibility of legitimate criticisms” and are also a “distraction from big-picture social issues.” Review of Conspiracy Theories by Quassim Cassam, Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press, 2019.

    In other words, public, just believe what you are told.

    2. This movement is actually a religion, with all the trappings of a religion.

    This religion has its temples (universities), priestly vestments (cap and gown), ordinances (graduation ceremonies), a theology (there is no God, all things are natural, there is no right and wrong). This religion is behind getting rid of public displays of the Ten Commandments. It is behind the LGBT+ movement. It encourages “living together” instead of marriage. It promotes abortion and euthanasia. This movement is the great and abominable church mentioned in the scriptures. This threat is organized from the Spirit world, inspired and guided by Satan. It will be a major player on the world scene until the Savior comes in his Second Coming. Those who cooperate and participate in this programmed evil are the tares of the earth who will be burned at the Second Coming of Christ.

    3. This movement seeks control over all of culture and civilization.

    The humanist movement is the dominant force and ideology in the world today. It is the philosophy behind communism and socialism. It has quietly taken control of our education systems, threatens scientific objectivism, controls our media, and is behind the “woke” movement. Politics in the United States mostly concerns how much socialism we shall allow, with socialism gradually increasing and taking over our politics. Socialism, the governing of the masses by those “most intelligent” human beings, is the antithesis of what the true disciples of Christ seek, which is Zion, a people so pure in heart that they all do only the will of Christ. They spend their time blessing others in his name and through his power. Zion is a people who do not take their instructions from any human being unless those instructions are confirmed by the Holy Spirit, which is the will of Christ. The will of Christ is that they become fully honest, true, chaste and benevolent, having all things in common out of a pure heart.

    These latter days are a show-down between the cause of Christ (Zion) and humanism. Humanism seeks to govern all mankind by a socialist world-order. Moroni would have us be fully aware of this confrontation and to make sure we promote the cause of Christ and do not give power to the cause of Satan.

  • The Most Important Commandment in the Book of Mormon

    Monthly Messages, February 2023

    1. The Most Important Commandment in the Book of Mormon

    The most important commandment? What a value judgment! But there are reasons why it might be so. The commandment is: ”Ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.” 3 Nephi 11:37

    To repent is to turn from the ways of the world to keeping the commandments of Christ. To become as a little child is to give up all worldly pride and humbly submit to and follow the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. To be baptized in his name is to sincerely make the promises of the baptismal covenant as administered by one having true priesthood authority from Christ. Anyone who does these things and then continues in the gospel covenant path becomes heir to all that Christ is and has.

    There are some good reasons why this might be the most important commandment in the Book of Mormon: 1. It is the key to receive all of the blessings Christ gives to his children. 2. It is a warning against pride, which is the great damning sin. 3. It is the pattern which Christ himself followed in relating to His Father.

    2. It gives the key to receive all of the blessings Christ gives to his children.

    It is our Savior’s purpose and desire to bless all mankind with as many of his own blessings as each can stand to receive and use for good: “And he gave some, apostles, and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 11–13) But he has to bless, not harm, with his gifts: “He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.” (1 Nephi 26:24) Because he wishes to bless and not harm, Christ asks his disciples to follow the covenant path, which path prepares them to use all of his blessings to bless others, to minister in the same purity which he does. This enables us to only bless, even as he does. The only stance which makes this possible is humility and child-like obedience. Thus Christ asks each of his followers to be his little child, to be able to grow up unto receiving all that he has to give them.

    2. It is a warning against pride, which is the great damning sin.

    Pride is the attitude of self-sufficiency, of not needing any help from others. It is the attitude that one’s own wisdom is sufficient to select and pursue the path that leads to success and attainment of the desires of the self. Thus being centered on the self, it pretends to have the universe in control and to assert that its own desires are the sufficient guide to all progress in attaining the goals desired by the self. The self who thus selfishly asserts itself is aided by an unseen power in the person of Satan, who is the ultimate personification of selfishness. This aid is real, sometimes being the cleverness that actually attains a selfish goal sought. Success in being selfish leads to a hunger for more selfishness, and that eventually leads the person to the opposite of what Christ is: a person rebuilt in the image of Satan, a devil in the service of the devil of all devils.

    The opposite of pride is for the person to recognize that he or she has limits and needs help to attain desired goals. The optimum opposite of pride is to become as a little child, one who “yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

    3. It is the pattern which Christ himself followed in relating to His Father.

    When the Savior appeared to the Nephites on the American continent one of the first things he said unto them was: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

    And I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.” (3 Nephi 11: 10–11)

    And we note the words of Abinadi: “I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in the flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son—And they are one God, yea, the Very Eternal Father of heaven and earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.” (Mosiah 15: 1–7)

    Our Savior sought not to do his own will, but to do the will of his Father and of our Father in all things. This is the pattern of faith. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we will seek to do his will, even as he did the will of his father in all things, even as little children.

    Is it possible that 3 Nephi 11: 37, immediately repeated in verse 38, is the most important commandment in the Book of Mormon?

  • The Most Important Verse in the Book of Mormon

    Monthly Messages, January 2023

    The most important verse? That is a strong value judgment. But there are some reasons why it might be so. The verse is 2 Nephi 26:24:

    “He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.”

    “Benefit” means doing good, blessing and ministering to others. God does this because of his heart-felt love for each human. The totality of all human beings is “the world” in the scriptures. Christ has suffered for the sins and pains of each and every human being in order to be able to bless each one with forgiveness of sins, resurrection, and glory. He hopes to bless each human will all, with exaltation in eternity. But he respects each person and will put upon each only that which each has shown he or she wants to receive and does follow the covenant path to become able to receive. Not everyone can stand to receive all that God tries to give them.

    The reasons why this verse is the most important verse come under three headings:

    1. This verse gives us a most important feature of our knowledge about our God.
    2. This verse solves the problem of evil in the world.
    3. This verse sheds great light on the commandments God has given us.

    1. This verse gives us a most important feature of our knowledge about our God.

    Usual discussions of the nature of God sometimes focus on how much he knows, what he can do, and where he is.

    Our God is said to be omniscient, that he knows everything that can be known, past, present and future. In the Book of Mormon, Jacob exclaims: “Oh how great the goodness of our God. For he knoweth all things and there is not anything save he knows it.” (2 Nephi 9:20). This means God is never puzzled or in the dark about anything. He knows and understands all things. Therefore he knows how to bless each of his children.

    Usual discussions also emphasize the power of God, that he has allpower. This means that he can do anything that can be done. The Savior said: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18). Thus he is never frustrated by inability to bless each human being.

    Our God is also present everywhere in the universe. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalms 139:7–10) This is to say that wherever any of his children are the in universe, God finds and blesses them.

    And our God is also good, which is to say that he blesses or helps each of his children to enjoy as much blessing as each can stand to receive. And this is where our special verse from the Book of Mormon quoted above applies. It is well understood by mankind that God blesses his children. What is not as well-known is what this verse explains: God only blesses his children. Some persons are wont to attribute curses to God, and the scriptures actually use that word. But this verse in the Book of Mormon tells us that any so-called curse from God is actually a blessing and will result in some great benefit and opportunity for the recipient. Thus, God only blesses. Everything he does is to advance the happiness, power, and well-being of his children. But again, he will not put upon any child of his any blessing in eternity which the person cannot profit from. Thus some are damned to spare them blessings which would cause them to regress. And this damnation itself is a blessing.

    2. This verse solves the problem of evil in the world.

    Anything is evil if it is not as good as it could or should be. Every human sin is an evil, something which need not and should not be. For every human sin shortens the blessings and welfare of the sinner’s fellow-beings. God’s commandments are given so that we will have guidance and power not to do evil, but to bless only, even as God does. God holds each human being accountable for all evil each has done, and our Savior counts any evil we do to any person as if we had done it unto him. If we repent of doing evil, our Savior forgives us. But if we will not and do not repent, he must hold us accountable on the day of judgment.

    But there is a lot of evil in this world that is not the doing of any human being. There are diseases, natural disasters such as storms and volcanic activity, opposition from wild animals, heat and cold that devastate, etc. The point of this special scripture from the Book of Mormon is that all so-called evil in this world is the hand of God delivering something to his human children which will eventuate blessing which they will eventually recognize and be grateful for. For God’s hand is in all things. Nothing happens in this universe except by his permission. He lets what we call evil treatment by humans and by natural disasters in nature function as avenues for blessings greater than the evils humans suffer. Thus each human should be grateful for any suffering he or she undergoes, understanding that if he or she will turn to God as a little child and humbly submits to the so-called evils that come upon them, that paves the way for greater blessings from God. “For the natural man (a man without Christ in this mortal world) is an enemy (does not love) to God, and has been since the fall of Adam (because of the influence and temptations of Satan) and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit (accepts Jesus Christ as his father and guide), and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint (having the companionship of the Holy Spirit) through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love (for Christ and for all of God’s creation), willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him (to bless him), even as a child doth submit to his father (for that person who comes unto Christ counts Christ as his father). (Mosiah 3:19)

    This discussion of evil makes no sense to those who do not believe in the immortality of the human soul: no pre-mortal and no post-mortal human existence. For only in the post-mortal life do all the evils of mortality become known as blessings.

    Thus everything God brings to pass happens because God is using it to bless his children, to help each enjoy all the blessings and powers of God himself if they can stand to receive such magnificence.

    3. This verse sheds great light on the commandments God has given to us, his mortal children.

    Salvation in Christ is to change our personal character from the way we were as a natural man in this mortality into the character and nature of Christ himself. This is done by the individual exercising faith in Christ unto repentance from everything we are and do that is not like him, to “come unto the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) This explains why our Savior commands us to: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust … Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Mathew 5: 44–48) This is what Christ himself does, and he bids us to follow his example.

    This verse in the Book of Mormon is the most important verse because it clarifies for us the most important characteristic of our God: that his heart is filled only with unmixed, pure love for all of his children and for all creation. Knowing the most important thing about God our Father is the most important thing any human could know. And gaining and using that pure love from him in order to purely minister to others is the most important thing any human will ever do.

  • Why I worship Jesus Christ at Christmas and all year

    Monthly Message, December 2022

    Why I worship Jesus Christ at Christmas and all year:

    • I first began to feel about the Christ when I was baptized at age 8.
    • I felt I should read the Book of Mormon and began to do so.
    • I could not understand it, but I had a strong feeling that it was a true record
    • And that Jesus Christ was my Savior.
    • My next step up in testimony was when I became a Deacon.
    • I had a Quorum Advisor who taught us about Christ
    • With tears in his eyes, and I felt what he was saying was true.
    • In my teenage years I began to experience problems, and found I could take
    • them to the Lord in fervent prayer. I was comforted and blessed.
    • As a junior in college, I met a wonderful girl, rejected her because she was too beautiful.
    • But a friend talked me into going with her anyway, and I did.
    • I married her in the Holy Temple, and we began a family in Christ.
    • We were blessed with thirteen special children, and as we raised them
    • In Christ, our faith grew.
    • We fasted and prayed about many things, which brought us together as we both
    • Received answers in the Holy Spirit which, when enacted, bore precious fruit.
    • We grew old together, serving difficult missions and callings, but always
    • Buoyed by the Holy Spirit and a multitude of blessings and many answers to prayer.
    • We served in the temple together, we did home teaching together
    • And we struggled together to raise our children in Christ.
    • Now she has gone to the great beyond to serve loved ones in the Lord.
    • I continue to struggle in mortality, anxiously awaiting reunion with her
    • In Christ and in the Spirit world.
    • For I know and believe in that great God I worship, Jesus Christ and His Father.
    • For they are gods of righteousness. Whatever they do, they do to bless.
    • They are One God in that righteousness, and invite all of their earthly children
    • To join them in that eternal work of righteousness, blessing others to all eternity.
    • Will you join me in worshiping them?

    Chauncey Cazier Riddle