Dan Brooks's Blog, page 7

Sinners Who Keep Trying

Dale G. Rendlum started his 2015 April Feneral Conference talk, which I loved so much I am devoting this entire post to it, by saying this: "After receiving widespread praise and acclaim for his work in the anti-apartheid struggle and for forgiving those who imprisoned him for 27 years, Nelson Mandela would often say, “I’m no saint — that is, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.”
The point is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) it is by repentance that we again become clean. Jesus often told those who came to Him that their sins were forgiven. He never said anyone was in unforgiven or that anyone was unforgivable. 
When Christ healed He often said your faith has made you whole. But the word for perfect in Hebrew means "to be made whole" so what Jesus was really saying is that their faith had made them perfect!
To be made whole is how we become perfected. If the goal was to be blemish free as Christ is then we never would have come here to live a moral life. We are taught as Mormons that the plan was for us to come to Earth to further progress so that we would grow to become as perfected as God is now. We do that by making mistakes and by learning from them.
We owe it to ourselves to be patient with ourselves and persevere, we owe it to others to allow them to grow and learn at their own pace and in their own way. Otherwise we are hypocrites as we are sinners as well.
We can't change our past but we can change who we become and as long as we're trying that's all anyone, even God, can ask of us.
Elder Rendlum then said this:

“God cares a lot more about who we are, and who we are becoming, than about who we once were...He cares that we keep on trying.” 

Satan is the inspiration for those who say that some sins are unforgivable, or those who hold us up to the blemish free example of Christ and point by point show us just how far we are from being 'perfect' in the hopes that we feel shame and give up. But then Elder Rendlum said this: “In His mercy, God promises forgiveness when we repent and turn from wickedness — so much so, that our sins will not even be mentioned to us. … No matter how wicked, we can say, ‘That’s who I was. But that past wicked self is no longer who I am.’ ”

The goal is not to be blemish free, the goal is to keep trying, to keep repenting until we have been made whole. Until our faith has made us truly perfect.

Elder Rendlum finished with this invitation:

“My invitation to all of us is to evaluate our lives, repent and keep on trying,” Elder Renlund said. “If we don’t try, we’re just latter-day sinners; if we don’t persevere, we’re latter-day quitters; and if we don’t allow others to try, we’re just latter-day hypocrites. As we try, persevere, and help others to do the same, we are true Latter-day Saints.”

Dividing The Kingdom

Here's what Neil DeGrasse Tyson had to say about Scientology's status as a religion or a cult: "Religions, if you analyze them, who is to say that one religion is rational and another isn’t? It looks like the older those thoughts have been around, the likelier it is to be declared a religion. If you’ve been around 1,000 years you’re a religion, and if you’ve been around 100 years, you’re a cult. That’s how people want to divide the kingdom."

Tyson continues: "Religions have edited themselves over the years to fit the times, so I’m not going to sit here and say Scientology is an illegitimate religion and other religions are legitimate religions. They’re all based on belief systems. Look at Mormonism! There are ideas that are as space-exotic within Mormonism as there are within Scientology, and it’s more accepted because it’s a little older than Scientology is, so are we just more accepting of something that’s older?"
That is the question, as an Atheist observing and dissecting multiple world religions, all belief systems seem crazy and even cultish so are we more accepting of a faith based on how old it is? It would seem so.
 Mormons and Scientology are branded as cults yet older religions with ideas and beliefs just as crazy and irrational to an Atheist are respected because they are thousands of years older.
It's important to ponder what Tyson has to say because he is an unbiased observer of religions because he subscribes to none of them and he does not typically disregard the beliefs of billions of people. He seems to respect them all, which seems like a really crazy belief system these days.
The thing is that in return for our beliefs being respected or in order to improve the chances of our beliefs being respected, we must respect the beliefs of others. That is not the same as worshiping other Gods or adhering to other faith systems. Respect goes a long way. And it comes back to us if we truly give it.
Including all people is better than excluding others in an elitist fashion isn't it? Truth is always subversive and dangerous, it always demands that we suspended disbelief in order to accept it.
Which means when others of differing faiths share their truth with us we may want to call them crazy but we have plenty of crazy in our faith so it is unfair to demean others who simply believe differently than we do just as it is wrong to judge others who sin differently than we do, we both still sin. 
And we both may be crazy and we both may even be wrong. We believe we are right but we don't know for certain because if we did we would have proof and not faith and then we would lose one of the greatest gifts of the gospel. 
We would do better to share the Kingdom than to divide the Kingdom. The Kingdom is for all of us.

Rebooting The Restoration

Scripture says this about a Godly society: Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:34-35
And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them. Moses 7:18
And Jesus said this about the poor: For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. Mark 14:7
What if Jesus means more than we will always have the poor among us since the other scriptures speak of a Godly people who abolished poverty? What if He means our place is among them as His place in this life was to minister among them?
Utah is making national headlines because we have nearly eliminated homelessness. If we can do that then we are very close to being able to eliminate poverty. At least in our state.
But to do that we must also eliminate wealth and the ruling wealthy class can't have that. But that is exactly what a Zion people can and will do.
We have yet to build up Zion but I believe it to be very much within our reach. We have lost our momentum in the restoration and we need to reboot it. We may not be lost but we can build Zion it is only our willingness that seems lacking.

Cleansing The Temple

I went to the Holi festival of colors at The Hare Krishna temple last Saturday. It is a family event my family has made a annual event out of. The vivid colors thrown at every participant represent the colors of spring. Everyone is fair game, rich or poor, young or old, male or female.
The festival has spread all over the world and when I looked it up on Wikipedia they used a picture of the Spanish Fork Holi festival. We have one of the biggest Holi celebrations in North America.
And the Devotees from the temple don't mind that most of the people there aren't Hindu but Mormon.
And it takes days or even weeks to clean up after a Holi festival but that got me thinking about these Devotees and volunteers cleaning their temple.
When Jesus got angry at the money changers He wasn't just throwing a fit, He was cleansing the Temple.
The Temple had been defiled by greed. The house of The Lord needed a cleansing. But after Jesus the Temple was again defiled until it was destroyed by the Romans.
I don't know that any of our Temples need to be cleansed but I don't believe a bishop's or Stake President's interview can be bullet proof in regards to preventing defilement it may cut down the possibilities but it is not fool proof. But then nothing is.
But then if we make ourselves pure then we can rest easy knowing we have done all God could ask us to do. When we cleanse ourselves then we cleanse the Temple that The Lord has made by His own hand. And our bodies are Holy having been made by the hand of God.
But the hardest thing to purify is our mind and our emotions. But we can progress day by day and end up in a purified state.
A building is just a building, it's what's done inside that can make it Holy but it's not intrinsic to a building. It depends on the behavior and actions of those who enter it.
Our bodies, our minds and our emotions are what Jesus was referring to when He said The Kingdom of God is within You. And it is the Temple of our bodies, minds and emotions that need to be purified most often.
Much like the Hare Krishna temple after a Holi festival of colors event, we must purify our own personal Temples in order to unlock that Kingdom of God from within.
It's not that man built Temples are obsolete or unimportant but for those Temples to fulfill their duties our personal Temples must be purified.
Purifying the body is part of this process but it is only one part of that process. Our minds and emotions must be purified with the same vigor so many only reserve for the word of wisdom.
It takes days or weeks to purify the Spanish Fork temple but it takes a life time to purify the mind, body and soul.
Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't be disheartened if you take longer than what  you feel may be too long. We have enough time and you have enough potential.

Don't Hold Back

What I mean by not holding back is that we do better to be who we truly are. I would personally rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not. 
And as a veteran who lost friends in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a grandchild who has lost a grandparent, someone who has lost friends to disease, suicide and murder I can say that holding back my feelings and not telling these people how I felt about them, how much I loved them haunts me because now it's too late.
The perfect moment to tell them never happened. I could have made it happen but I was holding back.
And of course there are the problems we see in our community, our state and our country but the very people who could do the most good so often hold back and don't get involved.
The reason I write about not holding back is that's the exact attitude Hesus had. His teachings were radical, His criticisms of the ruling religious elite, the Pharisees, put His life in danger and ultimately got Him killed. But He never held back despite the dangers. And neither should we.
Jesus' teachings gave us a higher law. What I mean by that is where the law of Moses said thou shalt not kill Hesus said this: 21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Matthew 5:21-25

Mosaic law says thou shalt not kill but Jesus says we should not stay angry that is an example of the higher law.

Jesus stood out amongst His contemporaries because of one simple thing; He preached being the best,doing the most and striving to be the most righteous rather than simply doing the bare minimum. 

All of His contemporaries viewed Mosaic law in legalistic terms for every possible scenario. They preached the law in terms of doing at least this much or at the least that much but never doing the most as Jesus taught.

Peter asked Jesus how many times He was required to forgive and Jesus said this: 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22

Seventy times seven is symbolic of infinity. And Jesus teaches here that we should be infinitely forgiving but He is also drawing a comparison to Lamech a character in the Old Testament who was considered by many to be the most evil of Biblical characters because He said 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. Genesis 4:24

Jesus is teaching that we should be the most righteous rather than the least righteous. Jesus is saying we should do the most rather than the least. Jesus is saying we should not hold back from being who we were created to be.

We would do better to remember who we are, who we were created to be and to guide ourselves by the principles Christ set for to love one another as He loved us, even our enemies, because if we live by that higher law, if we live by His principles we will always know what the right thing to do or say is.

There is a proverb about two wolves within us fighting for control. 

ONE EVENING, AN ELDERLYCHEROKEE BRAVE TOLD HISGRANDSON ABOUT A BATTLE THATGOES ON INSIDE PEOPLE.
HE SAID "MY SON, THE BATTLE ISBETWEEN TWO 'WOLVES' INSIDE US ALL.ONE IS EVIL. IT IS ANGER,ENVY, JEALOUSY, SORROW,REGRET, GREED, ARROGANCE,SELF-PITY, GUILT, RESENTMENT,INFERIORITY, LIES, FALSE PRIDE,SUPERIORITY, AND EGO.
THE OTHER IS GOOD.IT IS JOY, PEACE LOVE, HOPE SERENITY,HUMILITY, KINDNESS, BENEVOLENCE,EMPATHY, GENEROSITY,TRUTH, COMPASSION AND FAITH."
THE GRANDSON THOUGH ABOUTIT FOR A MINUTE AND THEN ASKEDHIS GRANDFATHER:
"WHICH WOLF WINS?..."
THE OLD CHEROKEE SIMPLY REPLIED,"THE ONE THAT YOU FEED"
We can't change our past or what we've said or done. But we can change who we become by nourishing the good within us. And we change the course of our lives, and the quality of our lives.
Jesus teaches this idea in a parable about seeds.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:3-9

We might not be in the best condition to start with but we can change for the better day by day until we become the fertile soil for Christ's gospel to take root and flourish within us.

We Are Never So Lost

Jesus teaches us in a parable about 99 sheep where one is lost and Christ is the good Shepard who leaves the faithful to go down a road so often tread to find that one lost sheep.  To me this teaches that however lost we may be, however lost we may feel, even if we feel hopeless our case is not hopeless, because we may still be found. Christ keeps giving chances until judgement day. That's what spiritual prison is, it's our holding place and our second or third or fourth or more, chance to find and be found.
I have a hard time believing that some sins are deal breakers, that some sins cut us off forever from the sight or presence of The Lord. If that were true then the Atonement is powerless and spiritual prison is pointless. Forget what you've been told about deal breaker sins because Jesus tells us we can never be so lost that we cannot be found, that we cannot repent and be made whole again.
I used to smoke cigarettes daily, I used to smoke marihuana daily and I used to drink various alcohols daily. I refused to settle down in a relationship because mine always ended so badly and I wound up in a psych ward because of them. But when I met my wife things began to change, I stopped getting high and drinking because I wanted to look after the children and may have had to drive at a moments notice so I couldnot drink or get high. I desperately want to help my wife feel better from her lupus and additional medical ailments and after watching her father give her a blessing during a hospital stay
I decided I wanted to be ordained to the priesthood so I could bless her too. I had my fun and it wasn't all bad but it was superficial whereas my family has done more than heal my pain, they have made me whole.
In Hebrew the word for perfect means to be made whole. It does not mean blemish free. We were blemish free, we were sinless in the pre-existence so if blemish free and sinless were really the goals then we never would have left to come here, into this messy, sinful and tragic life. We came here to grow and progress and find out who we really are, and to fail until we succeed at being alive, at being spiritual.
So when Jesus healed, He often said "Your faith has made you whole." But in Hebrew He said "Your faith has made you perfect." A sinless life makes you Jesus but a faithful life makes you whole, makes you perfect.
Maybe our idea of perfection being blemish free needs to be reworked into the original Hebrew definition of being made whole.
I regret that my sins have hurt those I care about, or those I barely knew, or even myself but I do not regret my pain. My pain has taught me things about myself and others that I could in no other way come to know. My pain as much as my joy has been crucial to my enlightenment, so far as I have become so. My pain as much as my joy has made me who I am. But above all I cannot change my past no matter how badly I may want to. Making peace with my pain has also been crucial to my understanding of my life and my ability to move on with the knowledge that I cannot change who I have been but only who I become.
I have changed but I have so much more changing to do.

The Good Samaritan: A Closer Look

In scripture Jesus teaches a lesson using the parable of The Good Samaritain. There are many layers of meaning in this parable. The Jews and Samaritains were enemies, each despised the other. And yet Jesus tells a story about a Samaritain who helped a beaten and robbed Jew when two Priests passed and did nothing.
But that might mean something different than what we think it means. Because those Priests could have helped but had they done so they would have lost their right to do Temple work. 

Leviticus 21:1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people. 
Those Priests would have been defiled had they touched what they likely thought was a dead man. Had they check to see if the man was still alive and found him dead then they wouldn't have been able to perform their Temple work which they regarded as Holy. Much as it is regarded today.
Above proving that there are Good Samaritains not just bad ones, Jesus is teaching us not to let anything prevent us from doing the right thing, even if it temporarily stops us from doing Temple work. Life is more important because life is what the Temple work is supposed to uphold.
Jesus touches on this point again when He explains why He heals even on the Sabbath.

3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. Mark 3:1-6

The mindset that the rules are more important than people is alive and well today as it always has been. But it is a blind outlook. 

Jesus was more concerned with His people than He was with obeying the edicts of men. These edicts were legalistic and miss the higher point of the law entirely. Their laws were about obedience to men while Christ's higher law was about following the will of God.

If the rules we follow ignore our very humanity then why do we have them? 

These Priests were letting the letter of the law trump the spirit behind the laws. How often do we deny aiding those in need because we don't want to be defiled by their presence or dirty clothes and hands or because we believe their troubles are their fault, when we don't even know their names let alone their stories?

If we let the commandments stop us from aiding others then we have got it all wrong. But it isn't always commandments that stop us, it's hunting for reasons that say we don't have to help. And we don't. 

But that's not the message Jesus preached. That's not the message Jesus lived either.

Jesus was giving, loving, merciful, understanding and compassionate. So if we want to be like Him we should push those qualities to the forefront rather than find excuses to get us out of having to help as the Priests in The Good Samaritain parable did.

We can't leave children of God stranded without aid, without help and without consideration on the side of the road or on the corner with a card board sign petitioning us for aid.

It matters more that we help than it does how much we help. We may not have plenty but we have plenty of chances to help in ways big and small. As long as we do what we can we have done what we should.

What make the Priests in the parable so wrong is that they hid behind the law to avoid saving a mans life. How often have we done the same to avoid giving alms or aid? 

As Ye Have Done It Unto The Least

There is a song that sums up much of our gospel doctrines. I will paste it here and then discuss why it is so powerful. It is called "A poor way faring man of grief."
1. A poor, wayfaring Man of griefHath often crossed me on my way,Who sued so humbly for reliefThat I could never answer nay.I had not pow'r to ask his name,Whereto he went, or whence he came;Yet there was something in his eyeThat won my love; I knew not why.2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread,He entered; not a word he spake,Just perishing for want of bread.I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,And ate, but gave me part again.Mine was an angel's portion then,For while I fed with eager haste,The crust was manna to my taste.3. I spied him where a fountain burstClear from the rock; his strength was gone.The heedless water mocked his thirst;He heard it, saw it hurrying on.I ran and raised the suff'rer up;Thrice from the stream he drained my cup,Dipped and returned it running o'er;I drank and never thirsted more.4. 'Twas night; the floods were out; it blewA winter hurricane aloof.I heard his voice abroad and flewTo bid him welcome to my roof.I warmed and clothed and cheered my guestAnd laid him on my couch to rest,Then made the earth my bed and seemedIn Eden's garden while I dreamed.5. Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,I found him by the highway side.I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,Revived his spirit, and suppliedWine, oil, refreshment--he was healed.I had myself a wound concealed,But from that hour forgot the smart,And peace bound up my broken heart.6. In pris'n I saw him next, condemnedTo meet a traitor's doom at morn.The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,And honored him 'mid shame and scorn.My friendship's utmost zeal to try,He asked if I for him would die.The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,But my free spirit cried, "I will!"7. Then in a moment to my viewThe stranger started from disguise.The tokens in his hands I knew;The Savior stood before mine eyes.He spake, and my poor name he named,"Of me thou hast not been ashamed.These deeds shall thy memorial be;Fear not, thou didst them unto me."
There is scripture wherein Jesus says "As Ye have done it unto the least of my brethren, Ye have done it unto me."  Meaning if we treat others well then we have treated Christ well but if we treat others horribly then Christ takes that personally because we are all Gods children, who are we to mistreat Gods creation, God's children?
Which type of behavior is Christlike?
In San Fransico a Catholic Church set up sprinklers so soak the homeless people who sleep under the archway entrance of the church. I think we should stop waging a war on the poor and the homeless and instead wage a war on poverty because that is the enemy, not the poor and not the homeless.
I'm not sure that the church's antics are even legal but even if it were it would still be wrong. Wasn't Jesus homeless? Isn't the way that church mistreats the homeless who seek help from His disciples, indicative of how they would treat Jesus by His own standards set forth in the New Testament?
By contrast there is a high school basketball team, Vanguard College Prep in Waco, Texas, that at first refused to play another team until they could make it right. They refused to play a team for the Gainsville Tornadoes from Gainesville, Texas because the Tornadoes had no fans as they are in a correctional facility so their school mates are not allowed to come and even their families rarely attend.
Two students/basketball players from Vangaurd Prep organized their fans and students into a cheering section for the tornadoes and put up flyers cheering them on and on top of all of that they provided the Tornadoes with their very own cheerleaders.
The boys from Vanguard said everybody needs someone to cheer them on, they need someone who knows our mistakes and loves us anyway, and isn't that what Christ has done for each of us?
This may not be what sports are typically but isn't it what it should be?
Now which of the two examples from the Catholic Church in San Fransico to the high school basketball teams, is more Christlike? Which of the two examples do we need more of in this world and in our lives?

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

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.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25:31-46

We need more Christlike love, understanding and compassion. We need more cheerleaders in life not just on the court. Christ is the one who knows every one of our mistakes and loves us anyway, He is the one who cheers us on when we can't take another step, He is the one who is about good sportsmanship on the court and in life. Shouldn't we then be a cheerleader for our brothers and sisters, especially to those who are a stranger to comfort and warmth and to compassion and understanding?

Doing good, loving and serving others can be more rewarding than receiving. What the world needs now, more than ever, is for us to live the teachings and not just learn them. Because when we do good for others we are paying it forward since we can in no way payback the Atonement. And that homeless person that freezes in the night soaked by sprinklers for sleeping on the property of a church dedicated to the life and teachings of a homeless man, that is Christ by His own definition.

The way we treat others is how we are judged, by the standards we judge others we will be judged by. Whether the verdict is in our favor or not is up to us.

How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great.

Sacred Discrimination: Religious Freedom Fallout

Because Oklahoma lawmakers want to discriminate against gay people who want to marry they passed a bill to deny them the rights they have always had. But the thing is that the way the bill was written leaves out Atheists. Atheists now cannot get married in Oklahoma.
Satanists have also cited the Hobby Lobby decision and requested religious exemptions to the law for their own members.
Many feel that Mormonism is a cult and could legally refuse us service.
Jim Crow laws were also billed as religious freedom laws, they were billed as being intrinsically tied to the Christian faith, which is an outright lie as is the idea that there needs to be laws that allow one person of faith to deny service to anyone they don't like as having anything to do with Christs' teachings.
I've experienced discrimination as most have though some more than others, and I can say my heart breaks for those who face much worse wrath daily for any numbers of reasons. I have two gay step children and not being able to fully protect them pains me deeply. And I feel that sorrow when I see others discriminated against but especially so when it is the result of our own Church.
Discrimination I feel is a type of abuse and it leaves a lasting scar that often festers as it is never really allowed to heal as the wound is continually reopened.
I hate going through it myself and I also hate seeing others have to go through it. I just don't see how it can possibly have anything to do with Christs' teachings or His life and ministry.
I see these laws exempting people of faith from following the law as giving a blank check to discriminate and a special privilege license to hate.
I don't see Christ as teachings us to hate when He taught us to love one another as He loves us. He taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that we extend that love to our enemies and pray for those who curse us. Christ taught us to serve others not to deny others.
I see these religious exemption laws as being the opposite of Christ's teachings. Christ never gave us exemptions on the love we extend to all even our enemies. We are not exempted from serving our brothers and sisters because we have religious beliefs Christ never taught us.
These people some want the right to discriminate against are children of God. Does The Lord withhold His love, His light and knowledge or His service from those we would deny? We are all children of God, we are all more then Americans, Utahns, white people, black people, men and women. We are family. And we may fight like it at times but we should also make peace like that at times as well.
If we want laws that reflect Christ why don't we fight discrimination instead of allow it? Why don't we do what Utah has done and properly resolve the homelessness issue? Why don't we promote service to one another? Where is the character of Christ in these laws? I don't see it.
Love, compassion and understanding are what Christ stood for. He stood for the outcast, He did not stand against them as these laws do. 
We should not treat the right to discriminated as sacred but rather the opportunity to love and serve our brothers and sisters as Christ did for us is sacred. We are each sacred children of God. We would do better to serve more and deny less.

Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.

-Saint Augustine

Utah is know as the beehive state because of the work ethic of the early Mormons. It is still prevalent even today.

What I take from Augustine's quote is that we should put all of our faith in The Lord as we put all of our energy into our work ethic. Because to pray and put forth little to no effort is to effectively wish for something without working to make our desires a reality.  

Nephi prayed for release from his bonds and his prayer was answered.

17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again. 1Nephi 7:17-18

I have always thought that God gave him the extra strength needed. And that we all may enjoy the same power if we pray as though everything depends on God as we put forth all the effort towards our goal as if everything depends on us.

There are times when we are helpless and can't put forth any effort but I believe The Lord understands us in those moments and gives us what we need before giving us what we want.

And sometimes I believe we may be denied what we want is because The Lord has something better in mind. Which has been very much true in my own life.

Another example of faith is Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. They had no strength or effort they could excercise outside of their faith but because the put all their energy into their faith it was sufficient for The Lord. They were blessed with a miracle for their faith.

But despite all our prayers we may not receive a blessing or a miracle that would otherwise save our lives. Sometimes our prayers are denied not because of a lack of faith but because however strange or tragic it may be, The Lords will stands against our desires.

But Jesus even prayed the the bitter cup may pass him by but He still finished His prayer by saying nevertheless Thy will be done.

Jesus is making it known what He is praying for, that even though He prays to avoid His gruesome fate, His prayer that Thy will be done superceeds the will of Christ for the will of The Lord.

Jesus didn't get what He wanted for Himself, He got what The Lord wanted for us all.