*Note – I wrote this in 2021 when video games hadn’t yet become a completely abstract concept.
When my roommate moved out after living together for 10 years, he left his Wii, controllers, games, fit board, all of it. Not an exorbitant amount of value in the gaming device and equipment. Maybe a couple hundred bucks.
I’ve since lent that to my family-in-law partly so I can play it when I’m there. I have other gaming consoles at home I can play so it’s nice to have one there to use.
I believe this is a difference between America and most of the rest of the world.
We have such an excess of stuff that when we move out, we just leave it.
We have such of excess of stuff that we leave it at other family’s houses so we can use it while we’re there.
Most of the rest of the world would sell the console, games, and equipment for a couple hundred dollars which could make a big difference. Here in America, our land of plenty, it’s not worth the hassle.
I’m not saying this to disparage America. I’m not saying this as an all-encompassing fact either – that because you live in America a couple hundred bucks doesn’t matter.
What I’m saying is, we should remember how blessed we are. If you have any doubt about your blessed status consider the screen you’re reading this from, the comfortable thing you’re sitting or laying on, your air conditioning, and all the comforts that surround you.
Christmas just passed and amidst family, and big meals, and presents, and all the excess we have, I hope we don’t forget how lucky we are.
Let us not take for granted all we have and all we’ve been given.
These are thoughts from a book I read recently called A Miracle that Changed the World. It was an awesome book that laid out just how spectacular the establishing of America was. This was a section of the book I had some thoughts on. I’m quoting sections of the book with my thoughts.
p. 52:
“The Tide of Reform
“Many Americas became extremely self-conscious about their lack of “public virtue” because of non-involvement in the affairs of government. They began to acknowledge their obsession with self-interest, the neglect of public affairs, and their disdain for the needs of the community as a whole. Gradually, a spirit of “sacrifice and reform” became manifest in all thirteen colonies.”
This occurred in America in the couple of years leading up to the Declaration of Independence being signed. Is it any coincidence that a spirit of sacrifice, public virtue, and selflessness preceded the greatest revolution in the history of the world and the rise of the greatest nation ever to exist on earth? God needed a self-sacrificing and humble people to inherit the new world. When they exhibited these qualities, they became His chosen people to enact this major event. This led to a revolution and the freedom from tyranny that allowed the explosion of religious freedom that God planned, that couldn’t have happened under the rule of a monarchy. It started with sacrifice, service, and humility.
“In the eyes of the Whigs, the two or three years before the Declaration of Independence always appears to be the great period of the Revolution, the time of greatest denial and cohesion, when men ceased to extort and abuse one another, when families and communities seemed peculiarly united, when the courts were wonderfully free of that constant bickering over land and credit that had dominated their colonial life.”
Two things especially stand out to me from that statement –
“families and communities seemed peculiarly united.”
From the Family Proclamation: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
As the fundamental unit of society, strong families make for strong society. No wonder Satan has so adamantly attacked the family. Look at divorce rates, look at what has happened to the American family. The dismantling of families is the the beginning of the downfall of a great society, and we’re seeing it happen right before our eyes.
“the courts were wonderfully free of that constant bickering…”
Could the 13 original colonies have broken from the greatest world power at that time, colonies v. Greatest World Power, if they were busy bickering amongst themselves? It took unity for the freedom of America to be established.
D&C 38:27: “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”
This is what we need – Americans to become self-conscious about how selfish we’ve become. This is the eternal principle of unity. America needed to be united under one cause and one heart before they could break free from tyranny. God wants us to be one. What has happened to that unity?
I read in a Doctrine and Covenants commentary how early church members, going back to the very earliest days of the church, were advised to avoid courts. It was said that if a dispute couldn’t be resolved by arbitration, then there was discord and discontent too strong amongst the parties, and they needed to evaluate what they truly valued. One early church leader, Oliver Cowdery, was chastised for becoming too involved in the courts, and it ultimately began to descent towards his excommunication.
“When Oliver moved to Missouri in 1837, he sought to alleviate personal debts by starting a legal career. Witnesses testified that Oliver had urged people to sue others in court who “fired guns in town,” who broke “the Sabbath day,” he “frequently solicited for business in collecting debts,” and “urge[d] on lawsuits with others.””
There can’t be unity where there is constant bickering and lawsuits. Those needed to be removed from public standards before the 13 colonies could think to stand up against Britain.
The book continues:
“How the Moral Reform Accelerated the Revolution
“Many Americans became so impressed with the improvement in the quality of life as a result of the reform movement that they were afraid they might lose it if they did not hurriedly separate from the corrupting influence of British manners. They attributed this corruption to the monarchal aristocracy of England. Even Americans such as John Jay, Robert Morris, and Robert Livingston were beginning to see that the people were exhibiting a potential capacity for virtue and morality which would guarantee the success of a free, self-governing society. Therefore, it became popular to express the sentiment that the sooner they became independent the better” (emphasis added).
The underlined portion is the part that stood out to me. Imagine if society today could be said to have such a high standard of virtue and morality. This is what guaranteed the success of the United States: A virtuous and morally upright people. This is why they could self-govern themselves, because they self-governed in righteousness. Imagine describing our society like that today – excess of virtue and morality.
The definition of virtue is “behavior showing high moral standards.”
The definition of morality is “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.”
We couldn’t be farther from such a standard. We’ve gone so far off the path that we have reversed morality so that right is wrong and wrong is right. We have molded morality to be what we want it to be. The early Americans who established this nation were moral and upright in all their dealings, which allowed them the honor of being the people to establish the most free, most righteous, and most powerful nation in history. Freedom and righteousness are power.
Another motivating factor for the colonies wanting freedom from England was to avoid developing all the negative attributes of the British.
“British influence was already taking its toll. One alarmed American wrote, “Elegance, luxury and effeminacy begin to be established.” David Ramsay declared that if Americans had not revolted “our frugality, industry, and simplicity of manners, would have been lost in an imitation of British extravagance, idleness and false refinements” (emphasis added).
America has gotten closer to extravagance, idleness, and false refinements than frugality (look at our national debt), industry (look at our bail outs), and simplicity (look at social media).
It’s time for unity in America. It’s time for virtue and morality. It’s time to protect and re-establish the importance of the family. It’s time to return to frugality, industry, and simplicity. If America can return to these values, maybe it stands a chance to stay a chosen nation and be protected from the tribulations that are to come.
I recently went about educating myself on the current conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. It was briefly a popular subject in the news recently. Then, as the news is wont to do, the next hot topic came, and we didn’t hear about this issue anymore. That doesn’t mean this is no longer an issue, only that we’re not hearing about it as much. This problem has been ongoing for decades.
First, a disclaimer before broaching this subject: what is happening in the Middle East is a complex issue today, has been for a very long time, and will continue to be. As is often the case in multi-decade feuds between different cultures, this isn’t a simple movie plot – bad guys vs good guys. No superlatives will properly express how complex this issue is, so I won’t use any. I’ll leave it at the statement: this is a complex issue.
Before I get into this complex issue, I must state something of vast importance. It is important we don’t hate anyone, on either side. That includes hating the Jews, which is becoming a “hip” thing to do lately. It is of critical importance that we don’t completely vilify and blame the Jewish people for the atrocities that have been performed. Yes, atrocities are being performed. But, if we hate and vilify and discriminate against the Jewish people for the acts of a few or even of many, we are doing exactly what we’re so angry at the Jews for. We are mistreating people. Whether people are right or wrong, mistreating them is never an acceptable response.
A little historical background on what has happened and has been happening in Israel/Palestine, for those like me who have kept themselves blissfully ignorant of the topic.
At the end of World War II many Jewish people were displaced, their homes destroyed, they had nowhere to go. As these refugees wondered where they should go, a natural gathering to their ancient homeland started to occur. The only problem was their homeland was already home to a new group of people. The area of “Israel,” the land gifted to Abraham and his Jewish descendants by God, had become Palestine. New people had been living there for centuries.
The Bible has long prophesied of the gathering of Jews back to their homeland. The 20th Century has seen many Jewish people gather back to the land of Israel, making it a nation again, for the first time in 2,000 years. Did this gathering fulfill prophesy? In part. That prophesy won’t be completely fulfilled until Christ returns and shows the Jewish descendants of Abraham the prints in his hands and feet and they accept the Lord as their Christ.
Since we are witnessing, in our time, a prophesy fulfilled only in part, it’s obvious why this topic is so important to study and understand. It fascinates me that something prophesied of for centuries has been happening right before our eyes, in our time, our parents’ time, and our grandparents’ time. Yet we all act like this isn’t a big deal. Prophesy fulfilled in the dispensation of the fullness of times. Another reminder of the significance of the time we now find ourselves in.
When I heard of the issues in Israel, I realized I needed to pay attention. I’m aggressive in my avoidance of news and current affairs. I know I should do better. When I heard about Israel in the news, and as a studier and believer of the Bible, I was ashamed and embarrassed to be so ignorant on such an important topic. My ignorance needed to be rectified. The events in the Middle East are prophetic and important. Which led to my study of the subject.
What has happened as part of this 20th century gathering is what has happened anytime a people travels to an inhabited land in hopes of making it their own. This mass migration of the Jewish people back to Israel/Palestine has led to war, contention, and oppression. The Jewish people have established a Jewish state: Israel exists again. This establishment has shown little regard for the previous inhabitants. As the Jews have established some dominance and control in the region, naturally they exert some pressure on the previous people. The oppressed from history and particularly World War 2 have become the oppressors. Due to a lot of outside support, the Jewish state of Israel has been given much leeway in human rights violations. Public opinion has always been on the side of Israel, largely due to the support of Bible believing Christian countries (see documentary The Occupation of the American Mind).
There is wrongdoing on both sides. The Jewish people/Israel are not blameless. The Arabs/Palestine are not blameless. There is blood on the hands of both sides. This is in large part what makes this issue so complex. When conflict becomes decades of conflict, an eye for an eye becomes 100,000 eyes for 100,000 eyes.
That’s the million-foot view. The difficulty I’ve found in researching this subject is the bias you get from both sides. I’ve found it difficult to find completely impartial, factual, and historical information. The best and most impartial documentary I’ve watched so far is Two Blue Lines. That’s where much of my thoughts on this topic will come from. That documentary really made me think about this problem from different angles.
My hope is that I can give some thoughts on this issue, in the simplest and most layman terms, to help others realize how important it is we pay attention to what’s happening in the Middle East. Instead of saying too much in a breakdown of this topic, I’ll just share some interesting thoughts that developed from the documentaries I’ve watched. At the end of this, I’ll list out these documentaries if you’d like to further educate yourself on the important events happening in Palestine.
One topic that developed in the documentary Two Blue Lines was the idea that the Jewish people had become grounded in the land and not in the people. I believe it was a Jewish rabbi that pointed out it isn’t the land of Israel that makes Judaism, it is the people, no matter where they are. He talked about how Judaism is confused. God wants love. Judaism is one with all people. Judaism should be love and peace and brotherhood. What’s happening in the nation of Israel is the people are becoming grounded in land, and not religion. They have linked themselves to the earth, to something temporal. Judaism is more than a land, it is bigger. Judaism has survived as a people, a religion, and a culture through centuries of persecution and attempts at eradication because of their strong roots in God. Jews believe they are God’s chosen people. Rooting themselves to the land of Israel weakens what has always been their strength. The issue in Israel has become a people linked to a land instead of to God.
As a studier of the Bible, I realized I fell into this grounded in land and not in people thinking. My first thought (when completely ignorant of the issue) was – “of course the Jews are coming back to Israel by any means necessary. The Bible said it was rightfully theirs, the Bible tells us they would return to it, of course this is happening.” That, though, doesn’t excuse oppressive or unloving behavior. Prophesy told us the Jews would be scourged from generation to generation for what was done to Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 25:16), this didn’t make the Holocaust rightful in anyway. In a similar way, just because the Jewish return to Israel was prophesied doesn’t make Jewish mistreatment of Palestinians acceptable.
Other thoughts, mostly from Two Blue Lines and The Gatekeepers:
This is quickly going to become a more relevant issue in the United States.
A girl talked about how the Jews are repeating history. Similar to what was done to them so recently in the Holocaust they are now doing to others. She talks about how it’s hard to stop because it’s not one person, it’s like a movement. It’s gaining momentum and it’s happening.
One Jewish lady said that history will not look kindly on what is happening in Israel. Live by the sword die by the sword. They are committing war crimes. History takes note. Maybe not today, but one day. She said this ~30 years ago. We’re seeing that day come. As mentioned, the public shift against the Jews and the state of Israel is happening now, right before our eyes.
A fascinating point was made about segregation. Israel was established in 1948. At that time, they modeled after and looked up to the United States which was the pinnacle of the western world. At that time the US was still a segregated country. 70 years later Israel hasn’t had a civil rights movement. They still live in segregation, but instead of black people being discriminated against it’s Palestinians who are being mistreated. For a real-world picture of this watch the fictional movie A Borrowed Identity.
These are quotes from individuals In Two Blue Lines
“It’s clear that there will not be peace if we continue to demolish innocent peoples’ houses….”
“What is more dangerous is what this (mistreating Palestinians) does to Israeli people… as Israeli soldiers and citizens we become, from year to year, more animals.”
“What’s worse is what is being done to Israeli people, we are becoming animals.”
The Gaza Strip (the most fought over land in possibly all the world) is the size of Mobile Alabama with 10x the population.
As you watch this, don’t villainize the Jewish people. Then you are perpetuating the evil. Understand they are confused, and they are wrong. They do need to be held accountable. It needs to stop. They need to stop treating others how they have been treated. They need to treat others how they WANT to be treated.
One individual pointed out that the Palestinians don’t have a state or an army. This “war” is against a people. You can’t have ethnic democracy, or “Jewish democracy.” Either you believe in democracy, or you believe in a Jewish state.
From The Gatekeepers – all former Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service, think the FBI) leaders were unanimous; Israel must talk with the terrorists. They must talk with anyone that might talk to them. Peace cannot come through military or tactics or fighting or intelligence. Another of the Shin Bet leaders, the oldest one in the last 7 min of the documentary talked about how the occupation is making young Israelis cruel. They’re becoming like Germany when they occupied territories. Not how Germany was towards the Jews, but how they were to all the others they occupied (Polish, Danish, Norwegians, etc.). He said, “We win every battle, but we lose the war.”
That’s some of what I learned from conflicts in the Middle East. I’ll now present some scriptural evidence of the prophesy being fulfilled.
From a commentary on Doctrine and Covenants section 133 (items in parentheses are my own insertions): “The Gentiles who obeyed the Gospel were commanded (v. 12) to gather in Zion (Utah/America), and those of the house of Judah were to flee to Jerusalem (seen in 20th century, as discussed) (v. 13). This is in harmony with the prediction of Isaiah and Micah, that out of Zion (America) shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord (Bible) from Jerusalem (Micah 4:2). For from both these centers the Lord shall judge. Jerusalem shall be re-built and become a holy city, the capital for Judah, and Zion shall be the capital and city of our God, for Ephraim and his fellows (why so many of the tribe of Ephraim are already in America). Both shall be seats of government in unison with each other, and the Lord shall dwell in both.” (Smith and Sjodahl commentary).
Zechariah 14:1-5 reads:
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
This what the Jews expected from their Savior, the Messiah. They expected a warrior. A soldier to redeem them from the occupation of the Romans. Instead, they got the Lamb of God. That phrase had largely been removed from their scripture. Search for it in our current Old Testament and you will not find “Lamb of God” referenced. Why? Because it did not fit the image the Jewish people wanted from their King. They wanted and expected a king more akin to David, not Solomon.
Zechariah 14:1-5 is a yet to be fulfilled prophesy. As I heard of the hate and vitriol being pointed towards the Jews in the news and on social media, I realized it was starting. It’s long been a question: with the state of Israel so favored worldwide, how would this prophesy come to be? When would the armies encompass them about? As we see time and time again, political alliances and mutually beneficial allegiances turn quickly when public opinion starts to turn. Public opinion against the nation of Israel is changing right before our eyes. Prophesy is beginning to take its shape.
54 And he (Christ) said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
The Jewish people must turn to their Savior and accept that He has already come before them. They can’t rely on alliances with the United States any longer. They must trust in the Lord their God. They are the chosen of the Lord, even despite their great mistakes. He still loves them; they are still His people. They must turn to Him and trust in Him. Political alliances are fickle. The Lord’s covenants with the people of Israel are eternal.
Tragedies have occurred in the Palestine/Israel conflict on both sides. Inhumane treatment abounds. The opposite of love has been shown for God’s children. We are all God’s children. The Jewish people know this. They must turn from their obsession in obtaining their homeland and instead make the world a promised land. They must repent for the sins of few or many. They must correct wrongs currently being done in the Middle East. When they do this, they will continue to have the favor of the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one can come against them.
For more on the signs of the Second Coming see this link:
About the media’s influence on America determining how we view this issue and ultimately whose “side” we end up on because of that media influence.
Two Blue Lines (2015)
Can be found for purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Youtube, Apple TV.
Best, most impartial documentary I’ve seen.
A Borrowed Identity (2015)
Can be found for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
Fictional account of a Palestinian living in occupied territory. This one teaches less general facts as it’s not a documentary, but teaches a lot, nonetheless. It gives a real life feel to how this has impacted individual, real people, for generations.
The Gatekeepers (2012)
Can be found on Hulu, Starz, Amazon Prime Video, and others.
Documentary of the intelligence agency in Israel. Very powerful.
If you haven’t watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix, watch it as soon as possible. Could end up being the most important documentary of our generation. Given that we are the generation of documentaries, that would make it the most important documentary ever.
Why is this documentary important? Because it’s real and it’s happening now.
What will be the downfall of America? Have we given Civil War enough consideration?
Let’s do a quick thought experiment. What happens if Donald Trump wins the election this November? There will be 165 million mad people. Mad enough, maybe, to protest, riot, and maybe fight.
What happens if Joe Biden wins the election in November? There will be 165 million mad people. Mad enough, maybe, to protest, riot, and maybe fight.
Of course, 165 million people is an exaggeration because not everybody is this passionate, or angry, or inflamed about the upcoming election.
Let’s call the number 30 million on each side. Sound much better?
Why is this happening? Why are people always so angry?
There is an increasing gap between what we would deem the “center.” Center of anything. Not overly passionate about one side or the other. I’m not just talking about politics. I’m talking about anything. The middle is gone. The “hear the other side,” “hear them out,” “hear their opinions,” are disappearing. We’re turning into a world of people who think we know everything while not knowing anything.
So much from The Social Dilemma gave me an intense feeling of anxiety. One statistic mentioned was that a study showed lies are spread on the internet/social media 6 times more quickly than truths. What happens if a lie always has a 6x head start on the truth? What happens is what we’re seeing happen. Contention. Hatred. Vitriol. Anger. Confusion. Aggression. Fighting.
This brings me to the most important point.
What is truth?
Can we even know what truth is?
Truth is a concept society is starting to wonder exists. How do we find something our society is starting to believe is a myth?
This is where I turn off all my non-religious friends, but I would ask my non-religious friends: What is your truth? What do you turn to when everything around you is chaos, and confusion, and darkness?
I don’t say this to spread the divide more. I say this to invite others to find truth and make that truth love-based at all costs.
I love God because He loved me first.
What is truth?
God is truth.
He’s my truth. Maybe He isn’t yours. But you must find a truth to hold to dearly. This truth must be centered on love. We’ve seen what hate-filled “truth” results in.
How do we survive in an age of disinformation?
What do we do to protect ourselves?
I think first we follow all the suggestions given during the credits of The Social Dilemma documentary. I will list those here and then add my own suggestions.
Uninstall apps from your phone that waste your time.
Hint: most of them.
Turn off notifications. Especially for anything that vibrates your leg that doesn’t provide an immediate and important alert you need to see at that moment.
Never watch a video recommended to you anywhere: Facebook, Youtube, etc. If it’s not something you went there to search for and to watch, just don’t watch it.
Wayyyyy easier said than done (but let’s all try!)
Use a Chrome extension to remove recommendations. Below are some options.
I used this second one. Pretty amazing going to Youtube and not being bombarded by videos AI knows I want to watch. Squirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel!
Before you share anything online, fact check, consider the source, do the extra research (make sure it is GOOD).
If it looks like it’s designed to push your emotional buttons, it probably is. Don’t share it.
You vote with your clicks. If you click on clickbate you’re perpetuating the problem. Reward GOOD material.
Get different kinds of information.
If you are on Twitter, add people who have different opinions from you.
Talk to people in the real world about real issues.
When you find enough people in the real world to talk to, delete your Twitter.
Delete the social media accounts you really don’t need, that you don’t feel are healthy, that are taking you away from life. Delete it and embrace the freedom!
Get out of the system.
The World is beautiful. Live.
For Families:
Don’t give devices to your children. Don’t allow them on social media. Just don’t.
Minimal screen time.
Set a limit and stick to it. It was suggested to ask your child what they think is a good amount of time to spend looking at a screen each day. Your child will often give a reasonable response.
Create that limit and then give rewards for going under it. Set a 7 hour per week limit for screen time and your child spent 6 hours? 1-hour reward is a bowling trip or mini golf outing. I used to love incentives like these as a kid. I hope kids still do.
No devices in the bedroom a set amount of time before bedtime. This will also help with sleep because you’re removing blue light which signals to your brain that it’s time to wind down.
Here’s a suggestion – read a book instead of your phone!
Treat Social Media how Latter-day Saints treat dating – not before 16.
Here are my suggestions. If you can- delete it all. Just do it. I can almost promise you’ll feel better within a couple weeks, after the withdrawals stop.
Me personally, I have a Facebook. I use it so I can share my blog. It’s good to have. I see the use. I’m working on limiting my scrolling down my timeline to zero and especially not watching suggested videos in my feed. Suggested videos inevitably lead me to watching video after video of garbage material.
Another thing that has helped me a ton has been moving the Facebook app from my main page. I have it on page two. That way I’m not constantly slapped in the face by that addictive, dopamine-igniting red alert symbol. I have my Gospel Library on my home screen and if I find myself instinctively (or robotically) looking at my phone I do my best to open the scriptures and read those instead.
I understand all these things are easier said than done. It’s not easy to delete social media. It’s not easy, I get it. I’m right there with you. Technology is so good. It can be used for so much good. Why don’t we start using it for good again?
That brings me to my last point.
My final and most important point. What can we do to make a difference: Share GOOD stuff.
Emphasis on GOOD MATERIAL.
By good material I don’t mean you like it, or it tickled your fancy. I mean it is GOOD. It is wholesome. It is kind. It doesn’t make you explosively emotional but makes you feel gentle in your emotions. I mean good as in the good guided by the spirit. I mean good as in loving. I mean good as in spreading positivity.
I’m guilty like everyone else. I see a post from the Church, and I scroll right through. The AI (artificial intelligence) involved sees that (how scary is that?!). They know I scrolled quickly past something GOOD. We each need to make a conscious effort to spend time on the good stuff. Read the good stuff. Watch the good stuff. If you don’t have good stuff on your Facebook timeline, use AI for good! Go to google and search for Jesus Christ, the scriptures, conference talks, missionary messages. You know how when you search for that cute new jacket for winter and there are suddenly cute winter jackets on your timeline? Works the same way for good stuff. Search for good stuff. You’ll see more good stuff. Spend more time with the good stuff.
This is how we can combat and fight the echo chamber of hatred. This is how we remove political polarization. This is how we remove lies.
In the steps above I mentioned fact-checking what you share. How about this? Spiritually check what you share. Stop. Say a prayer. Ask yourself if what you’re sharing is spreading goodness, positivity, or love. If not, it can be deleted.
I often pray before I write, and I often pray before I share what I write. I always hope what I write is guided by something bigger and better than me.
Spiritually check everything you do online. Is this making me a better person? No. Get it out of here. Could this make someone’s day, bring a smile, alter someone for the better – SHARE IT.
This is what we can do. This is how we can make a difference.
I don’t ever say like and share on my blog posts because it’s become such a stupid thing to say. But we need to say it for the things that deserve it. Maybe we should change it to “LIKE AND SHARE GOODNESS.”
So, if you think this was worth reading, did something positive for you, or helped you in any way, please share it.
We can all do our part by sharing goodness.
You can join the discussion and learn more about the Social Dilemma documentary at TheSocialDilemma.com
I think this is important and I think it should be something we all start thinking about. Let’s start thinking about it. Let’s start doing our part.
Let’s take a quick trip through history. Bear with me on the history recap, I swear it will be brief.
The Revolutionary War started in 1775.
Some rag-tag colonists decided to stand up to and fight for independence from the greatest power in the world. I’ll say that again, a group of mostly untrained men decided to take on the greatest military force on earth at that time. Louder for those in the back, a group of settlers stood up to THE world superpower.
Can you believe how truly insane that was? Just that they revolted was crazy. Surely that got smashed into submission…right? WRONG!
They won! Independence. How? Tons of stories from that time point to divine intervention. We can save those for another day.
244 years ago, July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence was signed.
1777 The Articles of Confederation were written. This would be the first constitution of the United States.
1787 The Constitution we have today was written.
1791 the Bill of Rights was written for the United States.
Amendment I of that Bill of Rights:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
1805 The Prophet Joseph Smith was born.
1820 God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith.
1827 Joseph Smith received the golden plates.
1830 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christ’s restored church was re-established on the earth.
Fourteen short years after the Bill of Rights was established and set forth the freedom of religion in this choice nation a prophet was born. 29 years after the established freedom of religion Heavenly Father appeared to His prophet. Four short decades after the Bill of Rights was ratified Christ’s Church was restored.
Think about that for a moment. Human history spanning thousands of years. Yet, somehow, within 15 years of a free nation set forth the guidelines for free religion, a boy was born who 15 years later would claim visitation from God the Father. He would establish a church from meager means. Within 200 years that church would have millions of members across the globe.
Talk about all the coincidences.
It was less than 40 years after freedom of religion was established in the United States of America that the Church of Jesus Christ was organized.
What spectacular timing.
I know there aren’t coincidences in God’s plan. I know he reared up and prepared inspired, God-loving, intelligent men to establish this great nation. Men who desired freedom above all else. I know that soon after they did their part in establishing this free country it was finally time in God’s plan to establish His Church. There had to be a place for the Church to be restored first. There was nowhere else in the world the Church of Jesus Christ could have been established.
God works in miraculous and spectacular ways for His purposes.
I know the exact timing of Joseph Smith’s birth and the exact timing of the freedom of the United States were no coincidence. They were planned out long ago.
On this Fourth of July I’m grateful to our founding fathers.
I’m grateful to Joseph Smith.
More than anything I’m grateful to God for His perfect plan.
I’m grateful for a country where I can worship whom, how, and where I please. I’m grateful that I can pray in private or public. I’m grateful to be born in a country free. I’m grateful that I’ve never been truly persecuted for my religious beliefs. We live in a special country. We live in a country founded on true principles: freedom, liberty, and equality. I know it took some time for those principles to be truly established and I know we’re still working on some of those principles. But the principles are there. There are still parts of the world, many parts of the world, where freedom, liberty, and equality are not even considered.
The most important principle of all that this nation was founded on: faith and belief in God.
I know right now America is in a predicament. We have turned from God. God gave us this great nation and helped its establishment. Now we spit on Him and marvel at our own great strength and power. We’re American! THE Global Superpower. Doesn’t that sound familiar. We know what happens to global superpowers that rely on their own strength.
If we don’t humble ourselves and confess to whom we owe all, God in Heaven, He will take back His land. We are only as strong and powerful as our faith in God allows. Like England during the Revolutionary War we will fall if our pride is not removed. We must return to God. He founded this country and it will continue to degrade until we return to the source of all strength. It’s time to repent.
I love this country. I hope we can return to our principles and be better. I hope we can love God and keep Him here with us.
No Coincidences 