“Behold the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.” (Alma 60: 33)
In today’s world, if Moroni had written such a missive to one of our government leaders, he would have found his house attacked by Secret Service agents and held in jail for making threats against a government official. Given how our 1st Amendment rights have been shredded bit by bit today, it’s very unlikely that the even 1st Amendment would have shielded him from strategic persecution at the hands of the government were he to state the following:,
“Behold I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impeded the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom.”
But certainly there is something we can learn and apply for our lives today from his heartfelt letter to Pahoran.
As countless prophets have taught us, as followers of Christ we are not to indulge in a dole system as established in our government. There is very little that we are entitled to from our government. Their sole purpose is to protect and preserve our rights of freedom, life, and property.
“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man;” (D&C 134:12)
It’s interesting to note that Moroni’s letter to Pahoran clearly assumes that he is 100% entitled to something from the government and that something is all of the necessary support he requires in order to preserve and protect the freedom of the people. That same assumption is still valid today.
Under the Constitution and in accordance to Gods law, we have every right to expect and even demand that our government protect our freedoms as they were laid out in the heavenly inspired document, the U.S. Constitution. Moroni’s conviction of these rights were so firm, he unabashedly calls Pahoran out on what he fears is a dereliction of the duties of the Governor. He questions whether or not Pahoran is a traitor to his country. (Alma 60:18) He even questions whether or not Pahoran has become so comfortable in a life of luxury that he’s forgotten the struggle and sacrifice of the soldiers fighting on his behalf. (Alma 60: 19) He blames the suffering of tens of thousands on the lack of response from Pahoran, who he suspects may simply suppose that the Lord will save the people while he sits back and waits.
The good news is that if we act now while we still can, we still have some luxury to bask in while we make a difference in our government today. Thus it’s unlikely that we are in a present state of needing to physically fight with a sword or other weapon to find true freedom. Even better news is that in this account, Pahoran turns out to not be a corrupt public official. He truly has an earnest desire for righteousness, so much so that he’s not even offended by Moroni’s accusatory letter. But for the most part, we are not so fortunate today.
As Americans we have the right to expect our government to support, enforce, protect, and preserve the freedoms that are laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Understanding that while they are laid out in this “heavenly banner” does not grant them unto us in entirety, for many of them are our rights inherently as humans, otherwise acknowledged as UNALIENABLE rights. For example, I have a right to breathe whether the law states that I do or not. God himself created my body to function as such. And no other legislation can take that away from me.
If you have made yourself informed of the U.S. Constitution as well as the laws that have infringed upon the rights outlined in this document, you are aware that the time is NOT coming in which the Constitution WILL be hanging by a thread, but that time is already here. As possessors of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the truthfulness of the Gospel, and the scriptures which are replete with examples to show us EXACTLY what we must do TODAY to ensure that the Constitution does not become completely destroyed, as did the law of the land in 3rd Nephi, then we must follow Moroni’s example today.
Here’s just a sample of what jumped out at me as applicable for us now:
“We shall go up to battles against them.” Alma 60: 33
“ I do not seek for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God and the freedom and welfare of my country.” Alma 60:36
“ Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country,…” Alma 60:28
“Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?” Alma 60:21
“Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren--” Alma 60:7
As you read Chapter 60 in Alma, there is a great deal to correlate with our times today, and more importantly with our solemn responsibility today. There is much that can be accomplished by the power of righteousness, prayer, revelation, and “make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us”—such as the internet, 24 hour news stations, abundance of informative resources, e-mail, fax, telephones, social groups, the justice system, our voices of testimony, our talents, and so much more—that we may wield our modern-day swords to bring justice and God’s law back to our nation that it may be preserved.
“ Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.” (Alma 60:29)
May we no longer sit in stupor, but study our situation and act in righteousness now.
Yours in Freedom,
Kellene Bishop
In today’s world, if Moroni had written such a missive to one of our government leaders, he would have found his house attacked by Secret Service agents and held in jail for making threats against a government official. Given how our 1st Amendment rights have been shredded bit by bit today, it’s very unlikely that the even 1st Amendment would have shielded him from strategic persecution at the hands of the government were he to state the following:,
“Behold I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impeded the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom.”
But certainly there is something we can learn and apply for our lives today from his heartfelt letter to Pahoran.
As countless prophets have taught us, as followers of Christ we are not to indulge in a dole system as established in our government. There is very little that we are entitled to from our government. Their sole purpose is to protect and preserve our rights of freedom, life, and property.
“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man;” (D&C 134:12)
It’s interesting to note that Moroni’s letter to Pahoran clearly assumes that he is 100% entitled to something from the government and that something is all of the necessary support he requires in order to preserve and protect the freedom of the people. That same assumption is still valid today.
Under the Constitution and in accordance to Gods law, we have every right to expect and even demand that our government protect our freedoms as they were laid out in the heavenly inspired document, the U.S. Constitution. Moroni’s conviction of these rights were so firm, he unabashedly calls Pahoran out on what he fears is a dereliction of the duties of the Governor. He questions whether or not Pahoran is a traitor to his country. (Alma 60:18) He even questions whether or not Pahoran has become so comfortable in a life of luxury that he’s forgotten the struggle and sacrifice of the soldiers fighting on his behalf. (Alma 60: 19) He blames the suffering of tens of thousands on the lack of response from Pahoran, who he suspects may simply suppose that the Lord will save the people while he sits back and waits.
The good news is that if we act now while we still can, we still have some luxury to bask in while we make a difference in our government today. Thus it’s unlikely that we are in a present state of needing to physically fight with a sword or other weapon to find true freedom. Even better news is that in this account, Pahoran turns out to not be a corrupt public official. He truly has an earnest desire for righteousness, so much so that he’s not even offended by Moroni’s accusatory letter. But for the most part, we are not so fortunate today.
As Americans we have the right to expect our government to support, enforce, protect, and preserve the freedoms that are laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Understanding that while they are laid out in this “heavenly banner” does not grant them unto us in entirety, for many of them are our rights inherently as humans, otherwise acknowledged as UNALIENABLE rights. For example, I have a right to breathe whether the law states that I do or not. God himself created my body to function as such. And no other legislation can take that away from me.
If you have made yourself informed of the U.S. Constitution as well as the laws that have infringed upon the rights outlined in this document, you are aware that the time is NOT coming in which the Constitution WILL be hanging by a thread, but that time is already here. As possessors of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the truthfulness of the Gospel, and the scriptures which are replete with examples to show us EXACTLY what we must do TODAY to ensure that the Constitution does not become completely destroyed, as did the law of the land in 3rd Nephi, then we must follow Moroni’s example today.
Here’s just a sample of what jumped out at me as applicable for us now:
“We shall go up to battles against them.” Alma 60: 33
“ I do not seek for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God and the freedom and welfare of my country.” Alma 60:36
“ Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country,…” Alma 60:28
“Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?” Alma 60:21
“Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren--” Alma 60:7
As you read Chapter 60 in Alma, there is a great deal to correlate with our times today, and more importantly with our solemn responsibility today. There is much that can be accomplished by the power of righteousness, prayer, revelation, and “make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us”—such as the internet, 24 hour news stations, abundance of informative resources, e-mail, fax, telephones, social groups, the justice system, our voices of testimony, our talents, and so much more—that we may wield our modern-day swords to bring justice and God’s law back to our nation that it may be preserved.
“ Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.” (Alma 60:29)
May we no longer sit in stupor, but study our situation and act in righteousness now.
Yours in Freedom,
Kellene Bishop
Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.
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