TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
A
PUBLICATION IN THE SPIRIT AND TRADITON OF TRUTH MAGAZINE
Y VOLUME 10 October
2006 EDITION NUMBER 10 Y
Family Patriarchal Order
Who will be
the subjects in the kingdom [over] which they will rule who are exalted in the
Celestial Kingdom of our God? Will they
reign over their neighbor's children?
Oh, no. Over whom, then, will
they reign? Their own children, their
own posterity will be the citizens of their kingdoms; in other words, the
patriarchal order will prevail there to the endless ages of eternity, and the
children of each patriarch will be his while eternal ages roll on.
|
In
This Issue:
Family Patriarchal Order……………….361
The Importance of Plural Marriage…….364
Editorial…….….………………….…..367
Daddy’s 100 Rules…………………….370
Commentary On……………………….372
Excerpts from Arnold Boss’ Prison Diary374
Why I Believe……………………….…377
|
This is not
according to present customs, for now when a young man reaches the age of
twenty-one years he is free from his parents, and considers that he is no
longer under the necessity of being controlled by his father. That is according to our customs, and the
laws of our country. It is a very good
law and adapted to the imperfections that now exist; but it will not be so in
the eternal worlds. There will never be
any such thing there as being from under their father's rule, no matter whether
twenty-one or twenty-one thousand years of age, it will make no difference, they
will still be subjects to the laws of their Patriarch or Father, and they must
observe and obey them throughout all eternity.
There is only one way by which children can be freed from that celestial
law and order of things, and that is by revelation. (Orson Pratt, JD
15:319-320)
There are two
grand principles, by virtue of which all intelligent beings have a legitimate
right to govern and hold dominion; these are [1] by begetting children from
their own loins, and [2] by winning the hearts of others to voluntarily desire
their righteous exercise of power extended over them [by adoption]. These constitute a sure foundation for an
eternal throne - a kingdom as perpetual as God's. . In the Patriarchal order of
government, each and every ruler is independent in his sphere, his rule
extending to those below, and not to those above him, in the same order. . . .
We can conceive of no higher, or more perfect order of government than that
which is embraced in Patriarchal both subjects and rulers, each possessing
almighty rights and powers - almighty rulers over those who have descended from
them, at the same time rendering all honor and power to those from whom they
have descended. What a glorious system
of order is here portrayed - one in which an innumerable succession of Gods,
Patriarchs, and rulers can reign forever in the greatest possible harmony that
can be comprehended by intelligences, while each is independent in his
position, as is all intelligence. (Brigham Young, Millennial Star 15:801-804)
There is no
higher authority in matters relative to the family organization, and especially
when that organization is presided over by one holding the higher priesthood,
than that of the father [or Patriarch which means 'chief father']. The authority is time honored, and among the
people of God in all dispensations it has been highly respected and often
emphasized by the teachings of the prophets who were inspired of God. The patriarchal order is of divine origin and
will continue throughout time and eternity.
There is, then, a particular reason why men, women and children should
understand this order and this authority in the households of the people of
God, and seek to make it what God intended it to be, a qualification and
preparation for the highest exaltation of his children. In the home the presiding authority is
always vested in the father, and in all home affairs and family matters there
is no other authority paramount. (Joseph
F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine pp. 286-88)
We talk in
this ignorant age, of children becoming of age, as it is called; and we
consider when they are of age they are free from the authority of their
father. But no such rule is known in the
celestial law and organization, either here or hereafter. By that law a son is subject to his father
forever and ever, worlds without end.
Again, we have a rule now established in the earth by which a woman
becomes the wife of a man, and is bound by law to him 'till death shall
separate. But in the celestial order it
is not so, for the plainest of all reasons, viz., the celestial order, is an
order of eternal life; it knows no death and consequently makes no provision
for any. Therefore all its covenants and
contracts are eternal in their duration, and calculated to bind the several
members of a family in one eternal union.
In order to illustrate this subject and make it perfectly plain to the
most simple capacity we must leave death entirely out of the consideration, and
look at men and families just as we would look at them if there was no
death. This we can do with the greatest propriety
because the time was when there was no death, and time will be again in which
there will be no death. . . .
Having now
established the fact that the celestial order is designed not only to give
eternal life, but also to establish an eternal order of family government,
founded upon the most pure and holy principles of union and affection, we will
take a review of the celestial family of man as it will exist in the restoration
of all things spoken of by the Holy Prophets.
First: His most gracious and venerable majesty, King
Adam, with his royal consort, Queen eve, will appear at the head of the whole
great family of the redeemed, and will be crowned in their midst as a King and
Priest forever after the [Order of] Son of God. They will then be arrayed in
garments white as snow and will take their seats on the throne, in the midst of
the paradise of God on the earth, to reign forever and ever. While thousands of thousands stand before
him, and ten thousand times ten thousand minister unto him. And if you will receive it, this is the order
of the Ancient of days -- the kingdom prepared and organized to meet Jesus when
he comes.
This venerable
patriarch and sovereign [Adam] will hold lawful jurisdiction over Abel, Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the prophets, apostles, Saints of
all ages and dispensations, who will all reverence and obey him as their
venerable father and lawful sovereign.
They will then be organized, each over his own department of the
government, according to their birthright and office, in their families,
generations and nations. Each one will
obey and be obeyed according to the connection which he sustains as a member of
the great celestial family. Thus the
graduation will descend in regular degrees from the throne of the Ancient of
days with his innumerable subjects, down to the least and last Saint of the
last days who may be counted worthy of a throne and scepter, although his
kingdom may, perhaps, only consist of a wife and single child. Such the order and organization of the
celestial family, and such the natures of the thrones, principalities and
powers, which are the rewards of diligence.
(Parley P. Pratt, Millennial Star 5:189)
Those who are adopted into my family and take me for their
counsel, or, if I continue faithfully I will preside over them throughout all
eternity. I will stand at their head . .
." (Manuscript Sermons of Brigham Young 1:141)
"Before I
close I will answer a question that has been repeatedly asked me: that is,
should I have a father dead that has never heard this gospel, would it be
required of me to redeem him and then have him adopted into some man's family
and I be adopted to my father? I answer
no. If we have to attend to the
ordinances of redemption for our dead relatives we then become their Saviors
and were we to wait to redeem our dead relatives before we could link [into]
the Chain of the Priesthood we would never accomplish it." (Manuscript
Sermons of Brigham Young, 1:140)
To
"redeem" someone is to provide the link whereby they may be connected
into the Priesthood Chain. By adopting
their ancestors as their posterity, a means was provided for the salvation of
the dead. Brigham pointed out:
" . . .
we never read of women being Saviors of men or having a dispensation of the
Gospel committed to them. According to
the order established, all Saviors shall stand at the head of all those whom
they redeemed and bring them into their own kingdom and reign over them. Consequently all men must be redeemed by men
that are found worthy . . . " (M.S.B.Y. 1:76)
[I] learned from Hyrum that Emma had power to
prevent my being admitted to Joseph's Lodge [his Patriarchal family] for the
present for which I feel somewhat sorry. . . . but yet [I] believe that
innocence will prevail. . . . I now realize my situation more sensibly than I
ever did in my life. I might have the
privilege of being received into the quorum of anointing [the Holy Order for
which initiation is the endowment] but [Reynolds] Cahoon has got there and
through private pique he is resolved to deprive me of that privilege. That added to Emma's determination to be
revenged sinks my mind & fills me with agony, but I believe that innocence
will finally triumph & I shall be prospered. . . . I wrote a long letter to
Joseph on the subject. . . . He returned my letter & said I had no need to
be troubled, the only reason why I was not admitted into the quorum was because
there is no convenience, and none were admitted only for a particular purpose
by Revelation. (William Clayton, Diary 5
December 1843)
THE
IMPORTANCE
OF
PLURAL MARRIAGE
Brother
Joseph B. Thompson,
The
House of the Lord,
Colonia Industrial, Ozumba Mexico
09
October 1983
(Truth
Never Changes, Vol. 7, No. 2)
“…I realize how
close the veil is. At times you can
close your eyes and you can be gone just that way, or open your eyes and be
able to stay if you can keep them open.
What I’m trying to tell you is that in these experiences, it teaches us
that there is more than just what we see around us now.
“I have said many
times to you before, if you were called to go home right now, are you
ready? If the Savior should walk in your
midst right now, would you be ashamed?
Many of us would be ashamed to have Him find us in our present
condition. T his is something that my father-in-law Lyman Jessop taught me many
times—you should so conduct your life that if the Savior appeared to you at any
time that you would not be ashamed. Now,
if you adopt that into your life, you would not be very far off from the truth.
“Now if we’re
going to be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, we should live our lives that we are
worthy of it. And I wish I had the
tongue of an angel right now that I could explain some things to you. But the only way you can go back into the
presence of Jesus Christ and be a joint-heir with Him is that you live the laws
required of you to do this. One law is
the law of Celestial Marriage, and if you understood it the way you should
understand it, if you understood how important it was to you, you would not
rest until your husband had another wife, and you husbands would not rest until
you obtained another wife.
“I have told you
the story about the man who went from Ephraim, UT to St. George, UT on
business. There were some girls eating
their lunch out in front of the business and the man came up and stood on a box
in front of them while they were eating and told them who he was, where he
lived and all about himself. Then he
told the girls, ‘My wife told me when I left home that I was not to come back
home, unless I brought a second wife with me.
Now you look me over and if you like what you see, talk to me.’
“So the three
girls, after they got through eating their lunch came up and talked to him and
one of them finally married him and he was able to go back home.
“Now it was
important to this woman that her husband have another wife so that she could be
exalted; because if he did not do it, she could not be exalted. So, she put pressure on her husband to
fulfill the law. Every one of you
sisters should do likewise. If you
sisters take the attitude that if you do take a second wife, I will leave you
and take the children with me—if you have that feeling or you say that, you
will not only NOT have a husband, but you will NOT have children and you will
not have many things; you will be lucky to serve in the Telestial Kingdom.
“I showed some of
you the pictures of some of my family down here. I think about this very often when I look at
my children. I fell in love with a
beautiful girl one time and we wanted to get married, but she didn’t want me to
have another wife. She only wanted to
have two children and she outlined the way our lives could be. Every Friday our two children could have
their friends in our home and on Thursdays we would have our friends come and
play bridge. Right there, I died. No way could I do that. So, when I look at my family today, my 59
children and my 65 grandchildren, I think how, as much as I loved her and as
much as I still love her through memory, I would not have these children! I would have thrown them all out of the way
and what would I have thrown it away for?
For one beautiful woman and two children away for eight beautiful wives
and 59 children. Now, did I make the
right choice?
“What do you think
I think of a woman who would stop a man from taking that many wives and that
many children? ‘Why you selfish, little
brat. You’re losing everything you think
you want.’
“And what about a
man that would let a woman stop him from doing it? I say, ‘You weak-kneed, undeserving man, you
don’t even deserve the one you’ve got, let alone more.’
“Now, if you want
the blessings of the Lord, you men get busy and see to it that you live the
law. And you sisters, if your husbands
are holding back, get after them. Make
them go to bed without their supper.
Don’t get them any breakfast when they get up so that out of hunger they
will be glad to do what they ought to do.
If you don’t, you’re not going to have a husband or children. You’ll be working in that garden, but denied
to go into the beautiful palace and mingle with the Gods—providing you even
make it to the garden. You’ll probably
be down shoveling coal to make the sun shine.
“What kind of
people are you going to be? I want you
sisters to see to it that your husbands live the law. Because if you do not, you break the covenant
that you made. You made a covenant when
you married your husband that you would fulfill every law pertaining to the New
and Everlasting Covenant. So, if you
don’t, you lose that privilege, you’ll become as it says, ‘covenant breakers’
and you’ll have to accept the punishment of those who break their
covenants. Have I made my point this
morning?
“I know how thin
the veil is. Once you step across the
veil, you cannot change one thing.
Because once you step across it, you are what you are. Because you can’t change anything. I want you to change it. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. I don’t mean after you get out of this
meeting, but right now! As it says in
the Book of Mormon, that spirit you have when you lay down your life is that
spirit you will find in the spirit world.
So the spirit you have at this moment will either bless or condemn
you. I am not going to condemn you, but
the spirit you have will be the condemnation or the blessing. I can’t change it—only you can change it.
“This law was
revealed to Joseph Smith. He revealed
this law to Emma Smith and she opposed him in it. Finally, after a long time, she consented to
have him go ahead and have a plural wife.
She said, ‘I’ll let you have another wife if I can choose the wife,’ and
I admire Joseph Smith for even consenting to that. She said, ‘You can marry these two sisters
who are living in our house, the Partridge sisters.’ And he consented to do it, but they were
already his wives. So they got married
twice. And more than that, he had 23
wives at that time! So, while he worked
with Emma, he went ahead and complied with the law.
“This is what we
must do. We don’t throw them away, we
work with them and work with them and work with them. But there comes a time when we must go ahead
and live the law that is revealed to us.
It is not right for one individual to stop another individual. Not even the Priesthood can stop you. Even if I didn’t like you at all, if you
complied with the law, I don’t have the right to stop you and must administer
the law to you, regardless of my personal feelings. Because if you are complying and you are
worthy, I cannot stop you, but if I like you, it’s that much better.”
The Kingdom or Nothing!
E d i t o r i a l
WHAT THE PRIESTHOOD IS
In the Latter-day Saint Church, a young man is
ordained tot he Melchizedek Priesthood, by someone else who has had that
conferred upon him, presumably. But
Section 121 of the D&C indicates that when we are ordained, only the rights
to the Priesthood are conferred upon us.
These rights give us the
privilege of asking God and qualifying for that Priesthood and that office in
that Priesthood. And once having been
given the Priesthood, we can lose that Priesthood, as outlined in Section 121
when we seek to use our Priesthood in unrighteous ways.
Behold, there are many
called, but few are chosen. And why are
they not chosen?
Because their hearts are set
so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that
they do not learn this one lesson—
That the rights of the
Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the
powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of
righteousness.
That they may be conferred
upon us, it is true, but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our
pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon
the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the
heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. (D&C
121:34-37)
Thus, Priesthood can be lost
through the acts so described and there will be no ‘Formal’ adjudication of the
loss of Priesthood by Church leaders, when it is lost.
However, just because a man
loses the Priesthood, does not mean that he loses the rights to give someone
else the ‘rights’ to the Priesthood.
Likewise, when we receive any ordinance, we receive the ‘rights’ to the
blessings of that ordinance, but the actual blessings of that ordinance are
contingent upon our faithfulness in obeying the laws of God that underlie the
conditions and parameters of that ordinance.
Thus, many are called (i.e. those who receive the ordinance), but few
are chosen (actually receive the blessings of that ordinance and have it
recorded in Heaven, through their faithfulness).
Now, if you have been to the
Temple, you know that everything we receive there, in the way of covenants and
Laws, are “contingent upon our faithfulness”.
Thus, there are many who have received the outward ordinance of Baptism,
but have never been received in the Church of Jesus Christ, as they have not
complied with the conditions of the baptismal ordinance, as outlined in Section
20:37, which are as follows:
And again, by way of
commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism, All those who
humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with
broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they
have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the
name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him tot he end, and truly
manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the
remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.
Thus, we have the ‘rights’
to the blessings of Baptism but not having complied with the conditions of this
ordinance as the Standard Works indicate, few have ever had their names recorded
in the Lamb’s Book of Life, not having experienced the “mighty change”, not
having been redeemed, simply because they have not “repented of all their
sins”, but are continuing to repent ‘daily’ (to quote Leigh) and are not yet
cleansed of their sins…now, please understand that it is one thing to be
purified and cleansed of all of your sins, in and through the name of Jesus
Christ, and it is quite another thing to be perfected.
Church members are correct,
in saying that none of us will ever be fully perfected in this life, but
cleansed of all of our sins? Oh, yes,
that can be done as has been abundantly testified to in the Scriptures, and
until we are clean, we cannot hope to entertain, nor have the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
Or as Hugh Nibley said, that
noted Mormon scholar: “I see precious little repentance today in the
Church.” And if we have not been
cleansed every whit, then how can we say we have Priesthood?
The rights, yes, that is
what makes us Pharisees. We have the
‘rights’ to the Priesthood by virtue of being able to trace our Priesthood line
of authority back to the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
but ‘real’ Priesthood, where we can raise the dead, heal the sick, change the
course of rivers and defy armies? No, we
don’t have any of that kind of Priesthood, because we are still an impure and
faithless people, even though we do obey the outward laws of Sabbath
observance, tithe paying and Temple attendance.
You see, we are in precisely
the same condition that the Pharisees of Christ’s time were in, where they had
a knowledge of the truth, as the Prophet Moses delivered it to them. But as for having any power in their faith or
Priesthood, they had non, because they were full of pride and wickedness, or as
the Savior called them, “Beautiful sepulchres on the outside, but full of dead
men’s bones.” (MATT 23:27)
Nevertheless, within the
Church, some of the patterns for Priesthood government and ordinances are
there, to some extent. Just the same,
every ordinance that the Lord restored to this dispensation has been altered or
changed in some way, which we claim in our missionary discussions, is one of
the signs that early Christianity apostatized from the teachings of the Savior
and His Apostles.
Joseph Smith indicated in
the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Also Doctrinal History of the
Church) the following:
The Priesthood is
everlasting. The Savior, Moses and
Elias, gave the keys to Peter, James and John, on the mount, when they were
transfigured before him. The Priesthood
is everlasting—without beginning of days or end of years; without father,
mother, etc. If there is no change of
ordinances there is no change of Priesthood.
Wherever the ordinances of the Gospel are administered, there is the
Priesthood. (Page 158)
But what happens when there
is a change in ordinances? Then, the
Priesthood is changed and then, it is no longer God’s Priesthood, but Satan’s
priesthood, as Lucifer thrives on corrupting the Ordinances of the Gospel.
You see, this is precisely
why Cain was rejected by God. God gave
Cain and Abel the exact pattern of how they were to administer the ordinance of
offering up the first fruits of the field and the firstlings of the flock. Satan came along and had Cain change that
ordinance and thus, the Lord rejected it.
However, Abel performed this ordinance in the exact way God commanded
him to do it and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now, Joseph Smith points this out in the DHC
as follows:
The power, glory and
blessings of the priesthood could not continue with those who receive
ordination only as their righteousness continued; for Cain also being
authorized to offer sacrifice, but not offering it in righteousness, was
cursed. It signified, then that the ordinances
must be kept in the very way God has appointed; otherwise their priesthood will
prove a cursing instead of a blessing.
(Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page 54).
If Cain had fulfilled the
law of righteousness as did Enoch, he could have walked with God all the days
of his life, and never lacked a blessing.
“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and
begat sons and daughters, and all the days of Enoch were 365 years, and Enoch
walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (GEN 5:22).
Now this Enoch God reserved
unto Himself, that he should not die at that time, and appointed unto him a
ministry unto terrestrial bodies, of whom there has been but little
revealed. He is reserved also unto the
presidency of a dispensation, and more shall be said of him and terrestrial
bodies in another treatise. He is a
ministering angel, to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, and
appeared unto Jude as Abel did unto Paul; therefore Jude spoke of him. (Ibid., 14-15). “And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, revealed
these sayings.”
So, you may have accurately
outlined the pattern of the how the Priesthood is received with respect to the
mechanics of that ordination, but the summum bonum of the issue is that we must
keep the ordinances just as God has revealed them in this Restoration, and we
must also qualify to receive the Power of the Priesthood, in the same way Abel
did so, and also Enoch, who defied the Armies of the United Nations in his day
and gathered and saved Zion, the Pure in Hear, amongst whom there was no
poor. (Moses 7:18).
Recall, too, in Noah’s day,
or Enoch’s day, the Great and Abominable Church had arisen among them the
apostate Church of God, to fight and oppose Zion and those who lived the laws
of Zion, that qualifies them to establish Zion, and that Church was destroyed
in the deluge of the World Flood as the Bible attests.
And as we are taught in the
Standard Works, the Lord’s Round is “one eternal round”, hisotry repeating
itself, only this time, the earth will be cleansed by fire, rather than a
flood; a promise God made to Noah and his posterity.
The solution? Total and complete repentance, calling upon
the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, putting aside this silly
Pharisaical pride that has us classifying ourselves as the ‘righteous’ of the
earth, because of our outward observances of the Laws of God.
Daddy’s 100 Rules:
1)
Obey the Lord and His commandments.
2)
Obey your parents—they really do have
more experience with you and have gone through the adjustment of adolescence.
3)
Try Sushi—you might like it.
4)
Avoid battered, minced fish—go for the
gusto and get battered fillets.
5)
Never say, “Give me…” Always ask.
6)
Always return that which you borrow—and
return it in the same or better condition.
7)
Promptly return that which you borrow, and
you’ll never have trouble borrowing more in the future.
8)
Be punctual—this demonstrates honor and
integrity.
9)
Don’t talk back when given an order,
request or demand—doing so complicates an issue.
10)
Read, learn and master the
Scriptures—for they are the words of God and will enlighten your soul.
11)
Clean up after yourself.
12)
Never procrastinate—tomorrow may well be
another day, but today is better.
13)
Always be optimistic and positive—doing
so will make a tremendous difference and affect others.
14)
Never cease to call upon the name of the
Lord.
15)
Avoid evil in all its
appearances—darkness brings only suffering and misery.
16)
Always stand up for truth and correct
principle.
17)
Protect those whom you love.
18)
Guard virtue.
19)
Don’t fight against the Church—the Lord
will one day put her in order.
20)
Do nothing in excess.
21)
Only if provoked, fight back, fight
hard, fight fast, and win.
22)
Never pick a fight.
23)
Defend the weak.
24)
A little sugar in spaghetti sauce
lessens the acidity.
25)
Aromatics—garlic, onions and sometimes celery
and green peppers—are the base of many dishes in many different cuisines.
26)
Take time to read a good novel—it is not
only relaxing and enjoyable, but it also expands your vocabulary.
27)
Never say, “There’s no time!” That is the defeatist’s excuse.
28)
Make the time to do things.
29)
A good movie is always a fun escape from
the mundane grind of life.
30)
Rest is good for the body, the mind and
the soul.
31)
Love is the answer.
32)
Hate is love’s antithesis.
33)
Take a moment to enjoy God’s creation—the
forest, a rainstorm; a sunrise/sunset; the stars; pristine snow; the
countryside, etc.
34)
Take a moment to enjoy life.
35)
Don’t let opportunities pass you by.
36)
Observe the laws of God first, and the
laws of the land second.
37)
A
pleasant countenance is always much better than a scowl.
38)
Hugs are good.
39)
Hugs and kisses are much better.
40)
Prepare early for Christmas.
41)
Never be too proud to say, “I’m sorry.”
42)
Never be ashamed of something good—the
world has a way of twisting the good into something bad.
43)
Always remember that I love you.
44)
The key to a man’s heart is really
through his stomach.
45)
Never be afraid to cook—even the
greatest chef learned through trial, error & experimentation.
46)
Learn a second language.
47)
Learn to play an instrument of music.
48)
Hobbies are good, but don’t let it
consume all your time.
49)
Daddy is always right.
50)
A chocolate-y cup of cocoa is grand on a
chilly night.
51)
Homemade apple pie is superb!
52)
Invest in your future, your retirement.
53)
Set goals and follow through with them.
54)
Don’t be afraid of education.
55)
We do have a voice and can be heard.
56)
Visit a zoo.
57)
Visit
a museum.
58)
Visit a temple.
59)
Attend an opera, ballet recital or a
theatrical play.
60)
Obtain a testimony and continue building
it.
61)
Learn to shoot firearms and become
proficient.
62)
Learn to hunt and fish.
63)
Learn to garden.
64)
Learn to repair and construct.
65)
Have sympathy and compassion for others.
66)
Pay your tithing.
67)
Consecrate your time and talents to the
Lord and He will bless you.
68)
Random demonstrations of affections are
cherished and always welcome.
69)
Try corn-on-the-cob with Mayo, cheese
and chili powder.
70)
Never be afraid to try new and different
types of food.
71)
On New Year’s Day, eat Japanese food.
72)
Never be afraid to take your mother for Sunday
Brunch on Mother’s Day at a well-respected fine-dining restaurant.
73)
Never be cruel.
74)
Menudo con pata
on Saturday mornings is a good way to start your day.
75)
Always express your love with sincerity.
76)
Say what you mean and mean what you say
and if you don’t mean it, don’t say it.
77)
When another finds fault with you,
always be in agreement and acknowledge your error—this immediately diffuses the
incident.
78)
Be prepared—always.
79)
Pray often and always.
80)
Never be a coward.
81)
Be assertive.
82)
Never permit others to bully you.
83)
Be a good example to others.
84)
Never boast.
85)
Never belittle another to make yourself
appear better.
86)
Always remember: Other people have
feelings, too.
87)
Never nag.
88)
Never whine.
89)
Don’t try to impress others—they’re
aware of you and your talents and already see your accomplishments.
90)
Never seek praise, but praise others and
praise them often.
91)
Obtain your ordinances.
92)
Enter into the Patriarchal Order of
Marriage.
93)
Study the histories of our people.
94)
Study the histories of our ancestors.
95)
Gather the names of our dead and extend
them the same blessings we enjoy.
96)
Go by the Spirit of God and you’ll never
go astray.
97)
Make your calling & election sure.
98)
Never forget the Gospel of Jesus Christ
is true.
99)
Share Daddy’s rules with all my
grandchildren yet unborn.
100)Never forget
that I love you and that I always have and always will.
—COMMENTARY—
ON
THE PRESERVATION OF ORDINANCES
“And also Elijah, unto whom I have committed
the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and
the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be
smitten with a curse;” (D&C
27:9)
Smitten with a curse.
As we all know, Malachi 4:6 echoes similar sentiments:
“And he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth with a curse.”
What does it mean to turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers? D&C 128:18 states:
“I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but
it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that
the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some
kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or
other—and behold what is that subject?
It is the baptism for the dead.
For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us
be made perfect. Neither can they nor we
be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is
necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which
dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and
perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and
glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the
present time. And not only this, but
those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world,
but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes
and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.”
With that explanation, it is clear that the ordinances administered
to the living are as essential to our dead—to create that ‘welding link,’ so
that we, as a family, may become perfected.
That is the responsibility of those legal administrators within the holy
places of the Lord, as well as our own to our children and all our
ancestors. We must share those blessings
in order to obtain our own salvation, for the Prophet Joseph stated our
salvation means nothing without extending those blessings to our ancestors.
Just last month, 120 years ago, a group of men were set
apart with the charge of sealing others in plural marriage, and ensuring that
not one year passed without a child being born under that covenant. That charge is still in effect today, but the
list of responsibilities has grown since then.
With every decade come more and more obligations that the Church and
other Priesthood organizations are not willing to fulfill. Whose responsibility is it? The burden rests on your shoulders; the
burden rests on my shoulders. Back in
the day of Lorin Woolley, it was reported he visited Priesthood peoples in
Tibet and Yucatan, and set apart men there to continue the same work we are
endeavored in. However, I want to boldly
declare that we must NEVER relinquish our position and our responsibilities
that another people will ‘take up the cross.’
The responsibility is ours as if we were the only Saints
engaged in building the Kingdom of God and preserving the ordinances in their
purity. This is the Lord’s work, and it
will be borne triumphantly—it is only up to you and I to ensure that we are a
part of this work when that eventful day occurs. We must accomplish our mission, lest the
earth be smitten with a curse.
Excerpts From The
PRISON DIARY
OF
ARNOLD BOSS
PART V
Wednesday, August 22, 1945
After work, near 7:30, I was
in my cell reading. Joseph called me to
cell No. 50. All twelve of us brethren
gathered there. Some sat down, others
stood.
Joseph was spokesman
again. He said, “We cannot let our
friends down who are working on the outside for us, so I have written a
statement. I thought we could all sign
that would satisfy the governor. We have
to have it signed by Friday, and I have written this one tonight. I will read it.
DECLARATION OF POLICY
To Whom It May Concern:
We, the undersigned members
of the so-called Fundamentalists religious group, desiring to live as good
citizens of the state, do hereby declare as follows:
That if granted a parole from our present prison
confinement, we will endeavor to faithfully and truly conduct ourselves as
law-abiding citizens. That since our
arrest and conviction, we have not, nor is it our intention in the future to
encourage, by teaching otherwise, further polygamous marriages, or to engage in
them ourselves contrary to the constitutional laws of the State of Utah or of
the United States.
Joseph then said, “I thought
this would cover the ground and would satisfy.”
He then turned to Louis to get his expression.
Louis said, “Joseph, I don’t
want to sign it.”
Joseph asked Charles,
following which Charles asked Joseph to re-read the 2nd
paragraph. He did. Charles then said, “It is another Manifesto,”
and took exception to items in it.
Joseph turned to me. I said, “Joseph, I would like to ask you a
question.”
He said, “Alright.”
I to him, “Where did that
first document come from and who wrote it?”
Joseph said, “A man by the
name of Frank Jensen wrote it and another man whose name I do not feel to
mention here.”
I then said, “I cannot sign
it, Joseph. I want to enter into no
agreement with our political enemies. I
am here for a law of God, and if God won’t deliver me, I am willing, I would
rather remain here the full five years than sign that.”
Edmond Barlow spoke up and
said, “I would sign anything to get our of here.”
Morris when asked said he
could not sign it.
Fred Cleveland also took a
stand against it. As I recall it now,
the other brethren were not asked their views because it was known where they
stood. We were divided as before.
Brother I. W. Barlow spoke
up in defense of the document, saying he saw nothing in it that was wrong;
nothing in it he could not sign. He
said, “If we were out, we could provide for our families. We could make good money,” and he intended going
up and down this state appealing to the people to help remove the felony statute
from the law books in Utah.
I saw a dark shadow come
over his face. I never saw this with
him, but once before. His argument was
principally a money argument. He said he
wanted to go home to his family. “It
will allow us to be with our wives and our children. They need us. We can act cautiously, etc.”
Edmond spoke and said, “If
no one else will sign with me, I’ll sign it alone and send it in.”
Louis Kelsch spoke up,
saying, “Joseph, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I suggest that all the brethren who want to
get out (by signing that document), be allowed to sign it and send it in. Those who do not, be allowed to remain.”
Edmond said, “Yes, that’s
alright.”
Brother I. W. agreed with
this, too. Brother Zitting said, “It is
fair.”
With that, Louis left. He was followed by Morris, Charles, and Fred,
while I still remained. I wanted to get
what facts I could without embarrassment to record for history.
Joseph next said to John,
“What do you think about it?”
John replied, “I would like
to think it over and pray about it before deciding.”
With that remark, I left and
went to my cell. Later, brother Timpson
came into my cell. I said to him, “I
cannot sign that and will not. It is
nearly as bad as the other one.”
I. W. Barlow came into my
cell and he said, “I can’t see anything in that statement that will bind you at
all. I may be dumb, but I can’t see it.”
I said to him, “If I sign
that paper, I’d seal my mouth up for at least five years. I would never be able to speak again.”
He said to me, “It doesn’t
say that,” meaning I would bind myself.
Brother Timpson also said,
“It doesn’t say that at all.” With that
I. W. went and got Joseph’s copy. I read
it through before them and showed by what was in paragraph two; it did say
that. With that, I.W. said nothing
more. I said, “When I get out of prison
I will go out on God’s terms, not on the terms of my political enemies, and
when I am out, I intend on advocating this principle with more power than ever
before.”
We were now seven against
it. Five were ready to sign it. Most of us were still praying over it. At this moment the gong sounded, all went to
their cells, and the steel doors closed upon us for the night.
Thursday, August 23, 1945
As soon as the doors opened
our cells, Brother John Y. Barlow was dressed and went direct to Joseph’s cell
to deliver some statement. Brother
John’s cell was just west of mine—next to it.
I heard him leave it, and looking out, I saw him go to Joseph’s
cell. Some little while after I.W.
Barlow went and called on John. He
learned from him through the night he had received a message and a rebuke. He had been told not to sign that document;
he was shown what the enemy would do with it, if it was sent out. While this was going on, Brother Timpson,
whose cell was just east of mine, came into mine and said, “I have to apologize
to you, Brother Arnold. You are right
and I am wrong. I now see things as you
do. Last night, or near dawn this
morning, I got a testimony. I was shown
what it would mean to me and my family if I signed that paper both now and in
the future.” He did not go into
details. I felt very happy over his
declaration; he did, too, and we both embraced each other.
Soon after this, all the
brethren got to hear what John had been told through the night. I went to I. W.’s cell, and he told me what
John had told him. While talking,
Brother John Y. came walking up the isle to where we were. He stopped at the door and looked at us. I looked at him and said, “Well, I hear you
got something last night?”
Tears started down his
cheeks; his lips quivered and his chin moved up and down as he tried to control
himself; then he said, “Yes, and definitely, too.” He then walked away.
Both John and Joseph had
helped to father the signing of Document number one. Most of us brethren had not known what was
going on until we met by the barn. It
was a surprise to us when it was presented at that place. Since then, they tried to get our signatures
on it. Six signatures were on the first
document, and the second was written and submitted, when the message came. David Darger had previously asked to have his
name stricken from the document.
It now must have been
something of a stunning blow and humiliation to the men who had sponsored it.
God’s name had hardly been thought about up to this time. The brethren had acted upon their own
judgement.
Word had been sent to the
three men at the Point of the Mountain to come on in. Evidently, the Warden had arranged for this,
for at noon, Rulon Allred, Joseph L. Jessop, and Albert E. Barlow came to where
we were sitting. We had all just had dinner and we were now resting. They shook
hands and Brother Joseph took lead in speaking.
He said, “Brethren, we
called you back here. We had a document
for you to consider about going out of prison, but last night the word of the
Lord came to Brother John and said not to sign it, so that ends the matter.”
The three men then read the
document. Each said he could not have
signed it anyway.
Joseph a little later
remarked, “I could sign twelve papers
like it and feel good about doing so.”
John said, “It is alright to
sign the paper, but the enemy will make mischief out of it.”
All of us men were placed on
our own. We all had to take sides. If this document had gone to the Governor
with all those signatures on it, I could have viewed it nothing less than
surrender. Those of us who had refused
to sign it looked upon it in that light.
I consider it is one of the
greatest history-making documents of the age.
It ranks with the one submitted to Pres. John Taylor September 26,
1886. One of the brethren informed me,
the other part of the message John received was, “I AM NOT PLEASED WITH YOU.”
Brother Zitting asked John
to call all of us together and tell in detail what the Lord had told him last night.
John said, “No, better leave
it just where it is.”
(To be continued…)
Why I
Believe
The
first vision of the prophet Joseph Smith brought about great excitement in 1820
when God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. Whoever would have thought that the Lord in
his wisdom and power would inspire Maori leaders during this same period of
time, especially when Maori were raging war one with another. Whoever would have thought that in 1887, the
Maori not only would receive the Book of Mormon but also would receive it
written in their own tongue, and they would learn that it contained a record of
their brothers, the Lamanites and Nephites, and that the record linked them
back to ancient America and back to Israel itself. Why would the Lord in his wisdom see fit that
the Maori would people the land at the end of the South Pacific? What was his reasoning, and why would
messengers come from the East carrying the everlasting truths of the gospel to
New Zealand?
The
answer is clear in my mind as to the thinking of the Almighty. Firstly, he loves us. By blood, we are the children of Israel. He has preserved us. His intentions were not only to educate us
but to fine tune us—to take us out of grass skirts and to clothe us—to replace
the weapons of war that we held in hand so tightly and to replace them with a
more peaceful, greater, powerful weapon in hand that would carry an eternal
edge, that being the Book of Mormon.
My
ancestral line from my grandmother Isabella Henrietta Christy is where I link
up to my forefather, Ihak Tatu Waanga, one of the last paramount chiefs of the
Ngatikahungunu Tribe. On the 4th
of July 1808, Ihaka Tatu Waanga was born at Mahia Peninsula. The Prophet Joseph Smith was born on the 23rd
of December 1805. At a young age,
Ihaka’s life was spared by the hand of Arama Toira, the Tohunga. Ihaka’s father, Te Rataau, and six of his
brothers, including Ihaka, had left the shores of Waikawa Island—Portland
Island—in their waka on the promise of receiving a gun. In 1844, the prophet Joseph Smith was shot
dead with a gun similar to that of what Te Rataau was going to receive, as he
thought. Arama Toiroa could sense
eminent danger ahead. He swam out to the
waka and grabbed the child Ihaka off the waka.
Te Rataau, along with his five sons were killed. Ihaka’s life was saved, and he was raised by
Arama the Tohunga.
I
believe the Lord had a hand in saving Ihaka’s lfe, as the most part of his life
was spent on the warpath trying to bring and establish peace and harmony among
his people and to stop the shedding of blood among Maori. In August 1872 he was presented with a Sword
of Honour by Sam Locke on behalf of Queen Victoria of England for his service
tot he Crown. In his own right he was a
peacemaker as he rode with the Red Coat soldiers—not as a traitor, but to stop
the shedding of blood among his people, as he could sense that continued war
would obliterate the Maori race.
Ihaka’s
first wife’s name was Ka Te Haka Rakatoa, to which a son, Hirini Te Rito
Whaanga, was born in 1828. In May 1829,
John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and confirmed upon
them the Aaronic Priesthood, which held the keys of baptism by immersion. The latter part of that year, three of
Christ’s original apostles (Peter, James, and John) appeared to Joseph and
Oliver and confirmed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood. In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the state of New
York in America. Hirini Whaanga would
have been about two years of age.
In
1846, President Brigham Youn was preparing the saints to leave Nauvoo to trek
to the great Salt Lake Valley to find peace, to build a temple and to seek a
place of refuge for the saints. In 1884,
Elder Stewart and companions arrived on the East Coast of New Zealand as part
of an evangelistic tour of the area. A
grandson of Arama Toiroa was at the meeting and recognized the missionaries as
being those spoken of fifty years earlier by his grandfather—those that would
bring the true gospel to his people.
From this, many Maori were baptized into the Church, including Hirini
Whaanga, who was well regarded by the missionaries and who became a popular
speaker at Church conferences. Hirini
was baptized on the 30th of November 1884.
In
1893, Hirini desired to travel to Zion and carry out temple work in Utah
(America). Brothers and sisters and even
grandchildren protested against it.
Finally, Hirini reminded them of the words of Arama Toiroa that “one
would cross the waters to the land from whence the gospel messengers
came.” When they were reminded of the
prophecy, the people consented, and Hirini and his family departed on the ship
the Manowai to Zion, where he laboured in the temple for the salvation of the
dead. Hirini returned back to New
Zealand under the direction of the First Presidency to fulfill a mission at the
age of 69 to 70 years old. He gathered a
lot of genealogy while back in New Zealand.
However his mission was shortened, as he had to return back to America
in 1899. The same year of his desire in
June 1893 to go to Salt Lake, was also the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple
on 6th April to 18th May 1893. On 14th January 1893, Hirini was
ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.
On October 17th 1905, he passed away and is currently buried
alongside his great wife Mere Eia (Mete) nee Smith in the Salt Lake City
Cemetery.
My
heart is full of love and appreciating at this time for my forefathers whom I
believe the Lord moved upon to establish his gospel in this part of his
vineyard. My heart weepeth and my mind
is clear, my emotions swell deep within and I am filled with the comforting
feelings of the Holy Ghost as I write a part of history in regard to my
ancestors. I get the impression of total
assurance that Joseph Smith and Ihaka Whaanga definitely knew each other in the
pre-existence. Joseph Smith, born 23rd
December 1805 and Ihaka born 4th July 1808. As good friends talk, I wonder if Joseph
mentioned to Ihaka in the pre-existence words to this effect:
Ihaka, I will be going to America; I will be called
to be the modern-day Prophet and will be the prophet to whom is restored the
gospel of Jesus Christ back to the earth.
I will be responsible also for bringing forth the Book of Mormon, which
contains a record of your people and the Lord’s dealings with them. It will contain truth and light to those who
are obedient to the commandments.
On
the 23rd December 1805, Joseph Smith left the pre-existence to begin
his earthly mission in America. The
Prophet Joseph Smith died on June 27th 1844, Carthage Jail, shot
dead. On July 4th, 1808,
Ihaka left the pre-existence to begin his earthly mission in Aotearoa—Te Mahia,
New Zealand. Ihaka died in 1875 in a
house fire at Maungakahi, Te Mahia. Born
in 1828, Hirini left the pre-existence to begin his earthly mission. He died on 17th October 1905.
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church of God. We are children of Heavenly Father in his
express image. Joseph Smith indeed was a
prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is
the word of God, which contains a history of my forefathers. I testify that this will all be revealed when
we all one day return to the presence of God…I bear testimony of this in His Holy
Name, Jesus Christ. Amen. (Hori Solomon, descendant of Ihaka
Tatu Whaanga of Ngatikahungunu Tribe, presented at the Visitor’s Centre, New
Zealand, August 2004).
Holiness to the Lord
TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
Volume 10, Number 10
October 2006
Y
No comments:
Post a Comment