Dan Brooks's Blog, page 17

We Are Not Punished For Our Sins But By Them

In the Buddhist book The Dammapada, Buddha says "We are punished by our anger, not for our anger." To which 19th century author Elbert Hubbard changed the word anger to sin and my mind was blown. What a revelation!
This, to me, is a healthier outlook than the western view of sin. In the western view a sin is a crime against God. Some sins, even in Christianity, are considered unforgivable. Which to me denies the awesome power of the Atonement. Some sins are considered deal breakers.
But in the eastern view delusions or false beliefs are their own punishment just as sin is it's own punishment so no added punishment is needed or warranted.
But in our western mindset many feel it necessary to pile on additional punishments for breaking the rules that are often man made.
How much healthier would it be if more people recognized sins as unhealthy speech or action rather than view them as rule breaking crimes against God?
Dr. Martin Luther King said this "Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
That quote tells me that punishment for sins is not as effective as discovering the reason the sin was committed and to address the disease rather than the symptom. Because without addressing the core of the issue other sins will bubble over.
And that is something we all must do within ourselves to further purify ourselves and our lives.
A Native American analogy I heard goes like this; There are two wolves living inside us, fighting for control. One is love, compassion, forgiveness and understanding. The other is fear, rage, bitterness and hate. The wolf who wins? The one we feed.
We can't control who we've been but we can control who we become. A man named Saul was responsible for the Jewish persecution of the first generation of Christians following the crucifixion of Christ.
Though his sins were great, though he was responsible for murder and great persecution, he was forgiven of his sins and he became the Apostle Paul who went on to be the most influential missionary in history and write 2/3 of the New Testament.
My point is that those with the ugliest pasts are capable of creating the most beautiful and amazing futures for themselves and others.
Looking as sin as something that is unhealthy I think is better and healthier  than looking at it as some sort of crime, punishable by death like say stoning an adulteress to death.

Sacred Temples

I went to classes to prepare me for going to the Temple. They were interesting but of little help when I finally went.
Temple attendance has been the most inspiring and edifying experience I have had. It is a sacred space and it is beautiful every time to me.
There are many reasons to hold the house of The Lord as sacred and truly holy. But every Temple has been built by man. Whereas there are for the most part only two Temples that are sacred above any built by man. Those Temples were built by the hand of God in whatever sense you define that and they are the a Earth and our bodies.
I don't think we should degrade man made Temples in any way I just think we ought to revere what God has made as so much more sacred than what we have made. 
Man made or not Temples are the House of The Lord and are sacred as such. We don't just act in the name of The Lord, we get to play an active role in ensuring His plan unfolds according to plan.
But our bodies are also Temples which is why the word of wisdom is so important. It's a good guide on how to treat and care for our bodies. But the word of wisdom isn't just about what we shouldn't do, it's also about what we should do. 
And why is it that so many among us are seemingly the least concerned about how our country or our state treats the Earth?
In Utah exists one of the largest mines on Earth, you can see it for miles. And in North Salt Lake the mountain side has been destroyed by mining for decades now, all in the name of money.
We have, as a nation, as a people and as a species poisoned the Earth we were meant to be stewards of. We have cause animals and wildlife to have mutations. We have genetically modified our foods as if God didn't know what He was doing when He made them. Man has made himself wealthy and comfortable, but at what cost? These missteps have dire consequences.
If only people pursued compassion, forgiveness and the love that Christ showed us, with the same fervor that so many pursue wealth and power. What a world we could have! Zion in the flesh I would say.

As I Have Loved You

"On February 2, 2008, the group picketed during the funeral of former LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley in Salt Lake City, Utah... The organization criticized Hinckley for being too accepting of gay people, accusing him of having an ambiguous voice about homosexuality rather than taking a firm stand against it."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church

I've heard some say that it is an honor to live your life in such a way that the Westboro Baptist Church pickets your funeral.  Gordon B Hinckley certainly did live a very compassionate life.  One of the best examples of that is from  November 1999 Ensign article wherein he defends "traditional" marriage and yet he said this:

"Nevertheless, and I emphasize this, I wish to say that our opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance, or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies, either individually or as a group. As I said from this pulpit one year ago, our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians. We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of conduct that apply to everyone else, whether single or married."

While I think that the Prop 8 fiasco violates the principle of agency Gordon B. Hinkley seems to have still been holding to the one commandment Jesus added to the law which was "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." If the Westboro Baptist Church feels he was being too accepting of gay people perhaps he was moving us closer to actually living out that commandment.

We are commanded to love others as Jesus loved those He met, as He loves us.

And yet Mormons all too often do not display that love to those who live by different choices, different politics, differing styles of dress or who were born with different sexual/romantic orientations. Mormons like Rock Waterman face excommunication for differing beliefs and yet Cliven Bundy is a member in good standing.

This article speaks to just how many of the homeless youth in Utah were kicked out of there homes and sent to live on the streets because they were gay and most of those were from LDS house holds so we must follow the prophet until he asks us to be loving to those people(gay, liberal, foreign)then Jesus' commandment to love others as He loves us doesn't seem to apply. Jesus seems to be ignored on this issue and I think comments from other general authorities do make it easy to make exceptions to the one commandment Jesus gave to us.

The problem as I see it is the mixed messages from our church leaders, mormonsandgays.org says one thing, purportedly the official church position, then Apostles make comments seemingly contrary to those official positions. Some preach tolerance and love while others preach that tolerance is a trap and other us vs them exclusionary "doctrines."

Jesus said to love one another as He loves us and there are no exceptions that Jesus allowed for.  One does not have to agree with everything someone says or does but there is a big difference between disagreeing and loathing those who are different, from disowning and abandoning children and forcing them to wander the streets alone because they refuse to accept their own family as they are.

I feel I can only truly love my children because I fully accept them. I accept their fashion sense, their taste in books, music and movies. I accept their off color and sometimes off putting jokes. I accept their colorful personalities good qualities and bad. I fully accept them and so I can fully love them and that's how we can truly love all of Gods children.
Buddha said attachment is the source of all suffering but I think acceptance causes just as much suffering because parents of gay children often refuse to accept their children as they are because they are too attached to judging their children by the standard of how they think their children "should" be. Most any therapist will say it is an unhealthy mindset to "should" all over others.

Love is radical if it is truly embraced and practiced and many members of our church are not yet ready to embrace the radical depths of the love Jesus preached, a love without exceptions, without conditions a love that can and has changed the world.  A love that still can.

A love that meets hate with love, a love that turns the others cheek, a love that embodies it's love for God in the way it treats all of His children.  Jesus did say in Matthew 26:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

So the way Cliven Bundy and other members treat and talk about gays and minorities(a term applied to the majority of the world) is by this scripture, defined as the way they have treated Christ.  How does that behavior, that language, look now in the light of Christs' words now?
  
Love is not easy, it takes work and if one lives the ethos of love as Christ did then it will turn the world upside down but the world is upside down by the standards of The Lord and it is only love that can turn it right side up. 

Love is the essence of the Gospel according to  talk by the same name from an April 2014 conference talk by President Thomas S. Monson.

It's easy to love those who love you but we are asked to love those who hate us, to love our enemies.  That's hard but that's what Christlike love is defined as by Christ Himself.

Maybe one day more people will be ready to live by the Christlike standard of love so often professed. It feels like we are sinking by so often giving into hate, intolerance. It just seems as though we are so polarized that even those who criticize the intolerant become intolerant themselves.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Dr. Martin Luther King

Redemption

We are all in need of redemption. Some more than others granted but we need redemption none the less.
In suffering the atonement Jesus redeemed all of mankind, because all have fallen short of the glory of God according to the Apostle Paul.
Jesus is representative of the masters son setting His servants free in a parable He preached:

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. John 8:31-38

So while we may all accept our redemption in being square with The Lord we may not be redeemed in the eyes of others. Forgiveness is theirs to give or deny. Should we be forgiven? Yes. Can we make others forgive us? No, they have their agency the same as us.

But Jesus did preach that all should be forgiven which makes sense if as President Monson said in a general conference address called "Love is the Essence of the Gospel" that forgiveness is an indication of love.

Love goes hand in hand with forgiveness. Can you hold a grudge against someone you love or do you wind up holding onto the anger of the grudge?

The Apostle Saul wrote 2/3 of the Bible and yet he was one of the culprits of the killing of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. 

And yet Jesus appeared to Saul to ask "Why are you persecuting me?" And Saul repented of his ways and from that moment on followed Christ and preached His Gospel.

And perhaps the reason Saul changed to Paul is because he was starting a new life so a new name was needed?

The adulteress caught in the act and was about to be stoned when Jesus said "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." Then the angry mob dropped their stones humbled and walked away.

Jesus said "Where are thine accusers? Doth no man condemn thee?" The adulteress said "No man Lord." And that's when Jesus said "Go and sin no more."

The adulteress was not only forgiven, she was redeemed. She was given a clean slate to begin a new life.

Paul was forgiven for killing in the name of God and went on to be the most important and prolific missionary in the history of Christendom and writing most of the New Testament.

Sometimes those with the ugliest pasts can create the most beautiful futures. Familiarity breeds compassion and relating to others, knowing so many of us have hit rock bottom at some point, alows us to bond by our shared pain.

We may all, at some point , been slaves to sin but the masters son has set us free so we are free indeed but I don't think we flip a switch and are magically transformed.

We would all do well to feel the glory of true redemption.

I think it's perfectly acceptable to just focus on being a better person than you were yesterday. Over time we will make progress and day by day we learn to stay on the right path walking closer and closer out of the darkness and into the light.

We Are Never Lost

We are never so lost that we cannot be found. Jesus teaches in His parable of the lost sheep that the 99 are not in need of a guide as the one who is lost.
The Shepard representing Jesus goes looking for the lost sheep until it has been found. How much more valued are any of us to Him?
I have been lost in life and Jesus was there for me to lead me where He needed me to be.
My post Your Own Personal Jesus and the post Righteous Judgement cover my near death experience.
Jesus reached out to me when I needed it most. And I was eventually found because of it.
In the prodigal son parable the younger of two sons is lost and destitute and wants nothing more of the life that he lived discovering all he thought he wanted to be shallow and lacking any real substance.
But the prodigal sons father slaughters the fatted calf and celebrates the return of a son he thought long dead.
The elder son has a classic reaction, the reaction too many of us have which is the prodigal son deserves punishment for his actions yet Jesus is represented as the father in this story and He insists that all should celebrate the return of a son thought dead representing the celebrations in Heaven when a sinner turns over a new leaf and is saved.
In Jacob 5 there is the story of a master of a vineyard who saved a tree thought to be a lost cause yet through hard long work the tree is saved.
Again we have a story about something thought to be a lost cause and yet the master or father or Shepard refuse to give up on what or who they know they can save.
For those who have never strayed, been lost or fallen away, your journey is it's own reward. But when one who was lost and thought to be a lost cause returns then there is a deserved celebration taking place in all of Heaven.
There is another parable taught by Jesus; 

Matthew 20:1-16 "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."

The master of the vineyard yet again is representative of Jesus and the core of the message to me is that as long as we get there it doesn't matter if we weren't there all along, the point is to reach our destiny. Even if we were the last to find salvation the point is that we found salvation to begin with.

I found God but I did not find Jesus, He found me.

Beware Of Dogmatism

I have heard some say "Any system of belief begins to close the mind." Meaning as soon as we come to a system of belief or understanding we begin to stop searching and learning thinking we already know the answers. Or thinking we know all we need to know.
Jesus said to His Apostles "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
Jesus was teaching His disciples who witnessed His miracles, knew His identity and believed His teachings, He taught them not to be content in their current knowledge but to work to further it. Jesus teaches us all to keep seeking and learning.
It is hard to balance knowledge and keep an open mind to new information and possibilities. I think we get it wrong by being so certain. We would argue less were we to be more open to alternate ideas rather than fiercely defending our treasured beliefs, indignant in our certainty.
Any of us could be wrong, about anything or everything. At least in regard to theology and philosophy there is little room for scientific verification because many of the questions or touted answers fall outside the realm of scientific inquiry.
I was always taught to pray for verification and answers yet if my answers differ from others or the bretheren then I am at fault for not praying right or hard enough or being duped by Satan.
But I argue that since each persons journey is unique and personalized then so should our answers be.
We are eternal souls and learning is essential to our experience so I am inclined to believe that learning is going to continue through most of eternity. To me it would be extremely boring not to continue learning. I would hate to lose the wonder I have over the majestic scope of the universe, the beauty of the Earth and al the life here.
We must not be so open minded that we can't come to a decision but we must be open to new information and ideas. Balance between having a belief system and being open minded must be found.

My Take Away From 9/11

I was late for work for the second time in a week, and it was only Tuesday. I turn on the radio then went to tie my shoes but stopped because there was no music on. There was talking about something at the World Trade Center an explosion of some sort.
I turned on the tv to see if that would have anything on covering it. And I wondered how a plane could fly that low that it hit the tower. Then it happened. The second tower was struck by another plane and I knew we were under attack.
I was on edge wondering if there would be more attacks, I wondered if Utah might be hit or if something worse would take place.
I remember getting updates about the towers collapsing or the pentagon being hit, Afghanistan being bombed and the thousands of celebrations going on over 9/11 across the globe. I havent seen that footage since.
While many celebrated the attacks the rest of us mourned and worried over any new attacks.
The thing that disgusts me most was my reactions. I was not thinking of turning the other cheek, I wanted to kill the people who did this and those that were trying. I joined the Army in December 2001 and chose from a list of job options the infantry or combat arms. I chose the infantry so that I would be trained to kill, equipped to kill and then sent over there and have to kill.
When I see the 9/11 anniversary coverage it reminds me of my blood thirst that day and for years afterward. It disturbs me. I met hate with vengeance and hate. I'm proud to have served but I can't be proud of my motivation to serve.
I remember Richard Gere talking about healing and promoting peace and he was booed for it. So many were also vengeful and hateful.
A good friend I lost a few years back told me since he was little he was blamed for 9/11 and labeled terrorist simply because he was Arab. And his first name was Hussein.
Meaning & History of . Husayn ibn Ali (also commonly transliterated Hussein) was the son of and the grandson of the Prophet . His older brother was named Hasan. The massacre of Husayn and his family was a major event in the split between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, which continues to this day. In more recent times this was the name of a king of Jordan (1935-1999). Source From http://www.behindthename.com/name/husayn
The name has deep symbolic meaning for many, many people. It is not a tie in to Sadam Hussein.Blaming billions of people for the actions of a very few makes no sense to me unless there is a need to simplify the big bad world so it's more palpable and understandable. So I get it but it's still upsetting.And then 9/11 always reminds me of my military service short lived as it was. Several of the guys I served with did not come home.But I did because of my mental health issues. It doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel fair that I lived on and watched my kids grow up, got married to an amazing woman and they died when the were still kids, teenagers still.It's called survivors guilt and it is pretty bad for me. I feel like even if I don't like the war, my place was with my brothers in arms not back home. I know they were in good company but I feel like my job was to be with them and that if I had been there maybe they would have come back.Even though I know it's not true I still feel like their deaths were my fault for not having their back like I was supposed to.To me 9/11 is a point in time where there is a before  9/11 and after 9/11.It still has an impact on current national and international events and news. But I can only speak to how it affected me and those close to me.

Do Not Be Afraid

The phrase "Do not be afraid" or "Be ye not afraid" appears 365 times in the Bible. One could argue that's enough for a daily reminder to live life fearlessly.
To me it's a reminder that if we have faith in The Lord we will fear nothing, not saying we will be in love with horrible things but that we won't fear knowing The Lord has a plan for us, that what happens happens for a reason.
Jesus asked that the bitter cup pass from Him. But He accepted The Lords will above His own and He was crucified but He did not seem to be afraid of it, He did not back pedal or renounce His teachings. He faced His fate head on and without fear. 
Throughout the Roman Empire, early Christians were killed by crucifixion or by being burned alive to serve as torches. They were killed by lions in the coliseums but they were mostly unafraid. The Romans commented on how peacefully these Christins met their death. 
Everyone of the first twelve Apostles, except Judas, met their death at the hands of those they preached to. They knew that preaching the Gospel might get them killed but the were not afraid and they preached and taught as The Lord asked them to.
Daniel was put in a den of lions but his faith was in The Lord and the lions left him alone. He was under the protection of God. But there was also the furnace he and Meshac, Shadtach and saved ego were ordered into a furnace yet they were soared and did not die as all others who were sent in did.
Again these men were full of faith that the  Lords will would be done and they were at peace with that.

Groomed For A Purpose

When I started dating my wife I had no idea I had been groomed for the role of her husband.
See we met for the first time when I was in high school. At an art show that I had a piece shown in, she attended and asked to meet me after seeing my work.
She told me how much she appreciated it and I remembered because she was the only person to ask about it.
She asked how much it was, trying to buy it, I didn't take the hint.
A few years later two women asked me where I got my "I heart toxic waste" t shirt. It was odd because nobody ever got the reference or approached me. But that was my wife and her friend.
We kept meeting but there was no real connection until 2010 when we met again and began dating.
I realize that maybe the reason there was no connection before is that neither one of us had been shaped into the people we needed to be for ourselves and each other.
Bad relationships, bad break ups, poverty, good times and bad shaped us into being very different people than we were when our lives kept circling back on one another.
When I was growing up I didn't have a step dad I had two. I had a good idea of how a step dad needed to parent correctly. Then when I met my wife and got together I became a step dad.
I did well for the most part because I had seen it done during my childhood by two different step dads.
What was once a source of pain and weakness became a strength.
By trying and failing in marriage my wife after her divorce knew what she needed from whoever she decided to be with and she learned as I did from all the relationships we had. We knew what our limits were, what our needs were and our marriage is stronger as a result.
Had we started dating any earlier than we did we may not have made it.
In a sense, working with external forces beyond our control I think of The Lord as grooming us for our future together as a gardener trims bushes to shape them to His liking.
We were shaped until we finally fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. So though I went through so much pain to get to where I am today I do feel better thinking that it all happened for a reason.
Having two step dads is a screwed up childhood but I learned more than how to parent I learned how to be a step parent.
For the sake of my step children I am grateful for my experience.
I am thankful for my past relationships, good and bad, because I learned how to be a better man for my wife.
My wife said it was her first marriage that taught her how to be such a good wife to me. She needed that experience to appreciate me for who I am, she needed to learn how to be comfortable in her own skin before she could be a spouse to anyone.
It was the path of our lives, good and bad, that shaped us into who we are now. 

The World Is An Illusion

Scientists have provided hard data which supports the idea that the universe is basically a hologram.
http://www.nature.com/news/simulation...
This finding also supports what both Hinus and Buddhists have said for thousands of years, that the world is an illusion.
Though there are experiences we can only have on Earth we will return to the true reality on the other side and there we can experience the rest of eternity.
Plato's allegory of the cave comes to mind. In it Plato supposes that if a few people were held captive in a cave with their only experiences coming from shadows made by moving objects in front of a fire behind these people that these poor souls would believe the shadows were real.
If one of these people were set free and go out of the cave and see nature, the sun and other people and animals they're mind would be blown. And when that freed person returns to the cave the others would not believe him and may try to kill him for robbing them of their treasured beliefs.
Many times throughout history those that spoke the truth were killed for revealing the true nature of things. And our current generation is no different in those terms.
Jesus was tried and executed for preaching uncomfortable truths. And were He to return He would likely be killed again were Ge to preach those same teachings.
The important question, the real question is when your perception has been altered and you are confronted by a painful truth do you accept or deny it?
Science can do extraordinary things but it cannot prove faith. That would defeat the purpose of having faith.
Belief in God will never be proven or disproven. It's not a scientific question because the scientific method does not apply to it.
As I've grown older the scriptures have changed for me I don't just understand them better I realize they are so layered with meaning they will continue to deepen in importance and understanding for as long as I live.
I don't believe I'm chasing shadows, I believe I'm chasing the holograms source.