Pray
To start out this exercise I have knelt in prayer asking for
assistance so that what I write and quote will be according to the mind and
will of the Lord.
In asking you to be a part of this instruction I am also
asking that each of you kneel in prayer and ask for understanding of the things
that I have written and quoted to have a desire to participate fully in it.
Go ahead and stop now and pray for understanding of
the material I will present.
Answers from the
Book of Mormon and modern day Prophets
This morning (Jan 7, 2018)
Marie and I attended our Stake Conference and were asked before going to listen
to Pres. Monson’s final talk in conference. It was on the Book of Mormon and
took less than 5 minutes to give. It is powerful. Pres. Monson implored us to
read the Book of Mormon each day and then made some promises. (See below)
The
Power of the Book of Mormon
“We
live in a time of great trouble and wickedness. What will protect us from the
sin and evil so prevalent in the world today? I maintain that a strong
testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us
through to safety. If you are not reading
the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and
with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth
to you. If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet
who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”
“My
dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully
study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a
position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome
doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so
testify with all my heart in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Our Stake President then told us that all of our questions
and problems in life can be answered through a diligent study of the Book of
Mormon. However the answers in the Book of Mormon is not the only benefit that
comes from studying it because as we also learn and know of it’s truth we also
learn that this is the true church of Jesus Christ “The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints”. We then also learn that it is directed by apostles and
prophets that give us clear and abiding principle of truth and light in these
troubled times. It is to the Book of Mormon and to our latter-day apostles and
prophets that I will turn for answers in the following discussion about a
problem that is tearing our family apart and one that I cannot stand by without
putting full effort to correct and will leave it up to your agency to accept or
deny. I so hope though that regardless we can put aside all of the feelings and
reunite as a family with greater love for each other and our children
Satan
tries to divide us but how do we know when it is he that is doing it?
Moroni 7:17
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe
not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect
knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he
persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do
they who subject themselves unto him.
I recognize, just as the Prophets in the Book of Mormon,
that a written message is hard to use to communicate because of weaknesses in
writing. I am mainly putting this on paper so that you can study it later in
private.
Ether 12:23-26 Weakness in writing,
23 And I said unto him:
Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of
our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made
us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in
writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because
of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;
24 And thou hast made us that we could
write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold,
thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of
Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty
even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
25 Thou hast also made our words
powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when
we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our
words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
26 And when I had said this, the Lord
spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace
is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;
Please forgive each other whether you feel you are in the
right or not.
To forgive and to
be forgiven
Mosiah 26:31 Ye also shall forgive
31 And ye shall
also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you,
he that forgiveth not his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he
repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.
3 Nephi 13:14-15 forgive men their trespasses
14 For,
if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also
forgive you;
15 But
if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.
Now that I have taught some important concepts of prayer,
ability to communicate, and forgiveness I will go into the problem that is
provoking me to write this and give it to you.
The problem
Abortion is in the news constantly now and women are
marching for the right to choose abortion for themselves.
Well it isn’t up to our government or anyone else to give
them that right. God has made it clear that it is an evil sin so here is the
start of my problem. And as I proceed I hope to clear up some incorrect
doctrine not meaning to be taught but none the less innocently taught to
readers on facebook.
The question
“How did you explain abortion to your boys?”
“Honestly
we haven't really talked about it yet.”
Well the fact that it hasn’t been
talked about is good because this has given me an opportunity to explain what
needs to be taught without exception or excuse and according to latter-day
teaching from modern prophets.
Policies
and Procedures: Statement on Abortion
In view of a
recent decision of the United States Supreme Court, we feel it necessary to
restate the position of the Church on abortion in order
that there be no misunderstanding of our attitude.
The Church opposes abortion and counsels its members not to
submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases where, in the opinion
of competent medical counsel, the life or good health of the mother is
seriously endangered or where the pregnancy was caused by rape and produces serious
emotional trauma in the mother. Even then it should be done only after
counseling with the local presiding priesthood authority and after receiving
divine confirmation through prayer.
Abortion must be considered one of the most revolting and sinful
practices in this day, when we are witnessing the frightening evidence of
permissiveness leading to sexual immorality.
Members of the
Church guilty of being parties to the sin of abortion must be subjected to the
disciplinary action of the councils of the Church as circumstances warrant. In
dealing with this serious matter, it would be well to keep in mind the word of
the Lord stated in the 59th section of the Doctrine and
Covenants, verse 6, “Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor
kill, nor do anything like unto it.” [D&C
59:6]
As to the
amenability of the sin of abortion to the laws of repentance and forgiveness, we quote the
following statement made by President David O. McKay and his counselors,
Stephen L Richards and J. Reuben Clark, Jr., which continues to represent the
attitude and position of the Church:
“As the matter
stands today, no definite statement has been made by the Lord one way or
another regarding the crime of abortion. So far as is known, he has not listed
it alongside the crime of the unpardonable sin and shedding of innocent human
blood. That he has not done so would suggest that it is not in that class of
crime and therefore that it will be amenable to the laws of repentance
and forgiveness.”
This quoted statement, however, should not, in any sense, be
construed to minimize the seriousness of this revolting sin.
The First Presidency
Harold B. Lee
N. Eldon Tanner
Marion G. Romney
Harold B. Lee
N. Eldon Tanner
Marion G. Romney
CHURCH
ISSUES STATEMENT ON ABORTION
“In view of the widespread public interest in the issue of abortion, we reaffirm that The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints has consistently opposed elective abortion. More than a century ago, the First Presidency of the
Church warned against this evil. We have repeatedly counseled people everywhere to turn from the devastating
practice of abortion for personal or social convenience.
“The Church recognizes that there may be rare cases in which abortion may be justified—cases involving pregnancy by incest or rape; when the life or health of the woman is adjudged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy; or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But these are not automatic reasons for abortion. Even in these
cases, the couple should consider abortion only after consulting with each other, and their bishop, and
receiving divine confirmation through prayer. The practice of elective abortion is fundamentally contrary to the
Lord’s injunction, ‘Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.’ (D&C 59:6.) We
urge all to preserve the sanctity of human life and thereby realize the happiness promised to those who keep
the commandments of the Lord.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution has not favored or opposed specific legislative
proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion.
“Inasmuch as this issue is likely to arise in all states in the United States of America and in many other nations of
the world in which the Church is established, it is impractical for the Church to take a position on specific
legislative proposals on this important subject.
“However, we continue to encourage our members as citizens to let their voices be heard in appropriate and legal
ways that will evidence their belief in the sacredness of life.”
A comment made in
the discussion is:
“I know
we don't really know how it works, but the God that I know would send that spirit to a new body.”
Note: That is reincarnation, to send a spirit that has a body
to a new body? So why not do the same
for children that die with SIDs or other diseases when they are small so that
they don’t have a chance to live a full life?
Because those spirits have a body and it is a separate one
from it’s mother the moment two cells join and are formed into a new life and
is blessed the same in the plan of salvation as all other sons and daughters of
God.
One of the most evil myths of our
day is that a woman who has joined hands with God in creation can destroy that
creation because she claims the right to control her own body. Since the life
within her is not her own, how can she justify its termination and deflect that life from an earth which
it may never inherit? James E Faust The Sanctity of Life April
1975 for full text see below:
The Sanctity of Life
James
E. Faust
“Since the
beginning of man, God has taught of an absolute respect for human life. From
the very first moment of his being until the last breath of his life, there is
a veneration for life which includes those in being, but not yet born.”
“In times past we
have looked upon a person who saves another human life as a great hero; yet now
we have come to a time when the taking of an unborn human life for nonmedical
reasons has become tolerated, made legal, and accepted in many countries of the
world. But making it legal to destroy newly conceived life will never make it
right. It is consummately wrong.
President Spencer
W. Kimball has recently said, “This is one of the most despicable of all
sins—to destroy an unborn child to save one from embarrassment or to save one’s
face or comfort.” (Ensign, Nov.
1974, p. 7.)”
“For the unborn, only two possibilities are open: It can become a
live human being or a dead unborn child.
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, referring to the unborn babe in the mother’s womb, said, “The
simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being.”
“It is the belief of
those who are members of this Church that human life is so hallowed and
precious that there is an accountability to God on the part of those who invoke
the sacred fountains of life.
The destruction of
such a treasure is so abhorrent that the First Presidency of the Church has
clearly and repeatedly counseled the world—as did President Kimball this
morning—against the taking of unborn life. I quote, “Abortion must be
considered one of the most revolting and sinful practices in this day. … Members of the Church guilty of being
parties to the sin of abortion must be subjected to the disciplinary action of
the councils of the Church as circumstances warrant.” Members are
counseled neither “to submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases
where” it is medically necessary, and, as the First Presidency has further
counseled, “even then it should be done only after counseling with the local
presiding priesthood authority and after receiving divine confirmation through
prayer.” The First Presidency has advised that it will be amenable to the laws
of repentance and forgiveness. (Ensign, March
1973, p. 64.)”
“One of the most evil myths of our day is
that a woman who has joined hands with God in creation can destroy that
creation because she claims the right to control her own body. Since the life
within her is not her own, how can she justify its termination and deflect that life from an earth which
it may never inherit?”
“Pres. Kimball 1974 said:
As to abortions, we deplore the reported million unborn children
who will lose their lives in this country this year. Certainly the women who
yield to this ugly sin and the sin which often generated it, and those who
assist them, should remember that retribution
is sure. It is sure.”
End
of Pres. Faust Talk quotes.
The correct answers
Reverence
for Life
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 1985
“I pray for the Spirit of the Lord to help me
communicate his mind and will on a very vital and sensitive subject. I
apologize for the use of words repugnant to me and ill-suited to this hallowed pulpit.
I do so only for clarity of communication regarding reverence for human life.
As sons and daughters of
God, we cherish life as a gift from him.”
“Regrettable as is the loss of loved ones from
war, these figures are dwarfed by the toll of a new war that annually claims
more casualties than the total number of fatalities from all the wars of this
nation.
It
is a war on the defenseless—and the voiceless. It is a war on the unborn.
“This war, labeled “abortion,” is of epidemic
proportion and is waged globally. Over fifty-five million abortions were
reported worldwide in the year 1974 alone.1 Sixty-four
percent of the world’s population now live in countries that legally sanction
this practice.2 In
the United States of America, over 1.5 million abortions are performed
annually.3 About
25–30 percent of all pregnancies now end in abortion.4 In
some metropolitan areas, there are more abortions performed than live births.5 Comparable
data also come from other nations.”
“Another
contention raised is that a woman is free to choose what she does with her own
body. To a certain extent this is true for all of us. We are free to think. We
are free to plan. And then we are free to do. But once an action has been
taken, we are never free from its consequences. Those considering abortion have
already exercised certain choices.
To
clarify this concept, we can learn from the astronaut. Any time during the
selection process, planning, and preparation, he is free to withdraw. But once
the powerful rocket fuel is ignited, he is no longer free to choose. Now he is
bound by the consequences of his choice. Even if difficulties develop and he
might wish otherwise, the choice made was sealed by action.
So
it is with those who would tamper with the God-given power of procreation. They
are free to think and plan otherwise, but their choice is sealed by action.
The woman’s choice for
her own body does not validate choice for the body of another. The expression
“terminate the pregnancy” applies literally only to the woman. The consequence
of terminating the fetus therein involves the body and very life of another.
These two individuals have separate brains, separate hearts, and separate
circulatory systems. To pretend that there is no child and no life there is to
deny reality.
It
is not a question of when “meaningful life” begins or when the spirit
“quickens” the body. In the biological
sciences, it is known that life begins when two germ cells unite to become one
cell, bringing together twenty-three chromosomes from both the father and from
the mother. These chromosomes contain thousands of genes. In a marvelous
process involving a combination of genetic coding by which all the basic human
characteristics of the unborn person are established, a new DNA complex is
formed. A continuum of growth results in a new human being.
The onset of life is not a debatable issue, but a fact of science.
Approximately
twenty-two days after the two cells have united, a little heart begins to beat.
At twenty-six days the circulation of blood begins.9”
“Now, as a servant of the Lord, I dutifully
warn those who advocate and practice abortion that they incur the wrath of
Almighty God, who declared, “If men … hurt a woman with child, so that her
fruit depart from her, … he shall be surely punished.” (Ex. 21:22.)
Of
those who shed innocent blood, a prophet declared: “The judgments which [God] shall exercise … in his wrath [shall] be
just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea,
and cry mightily against them at the last day.” (Alma 14:11.)”
“Yes,
life is precious! No one can cuddle a cherished newborn baby, look into those
beautiful eyes, feel the little fingers, and caress that miraculous creation
without deepening reverence for life and for our Creator.
Life comes from life. It
is a gift from our Heavenly Father. It is eternal, as he is eternal. Innocent
life is not sent by him to be destroyed! This doctrine is not of me, but is
that of the living God and of his divine Son, which I testify in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.”
What Now?
Moroni 7: 18
18 And now, my brethren,
seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is
the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that
same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
Now if you are harboring some negative feeling please reconsider
the source of those feelings. Are they good and “of God’ or bad and “of the
Devil.”
What will happen to people who died as
children?
According
to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the parents of
a child who died in childhood “will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction
of nurturing [it], after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of
its spirit.”12
One
last quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972)
“One commentator said: “Those who are left after the judgment of the Second Coming will be
able to raise up their children as calves are raised in a stall. The calf is protected from the
element will be removed, and with Satan being bound (Revelation 20:1–3; 1 Nephi 22:26; D&C 101:28), the environment will be more controlled” (Monte S. Nyman and Farres H. Nyman, The Words ofthe Twelve Prophets: Messages to the Latter-day Saints[1990], 145).”
