Love is positive action and the feelings it produces.
As a verb, love is the meeting of needs. Connecting with others is love in action. Bonding, building trust, enjoying each other - that is love. The actions of love produce the feelings of love. This is true for all love including romantic love where our needs are deeper, the work to fill them is more difficult, and the feelings produced when we do fill them are greater.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
The Demystification of Revelations and Miracles
If I say that something was revealed to me by God - some truth, some insight - many people may wonder. But, it's really not that complicated. When my son wants to know how plants grow, I share with him a bit about photosynthesis. When he wants to know about things falling, I explain about gravity. He then understands because I communicated that light and knowledge to him and he received it. This is revelation. Revelation occurs whenever one individual in possession of light and knowledge communicates it to another individual not in possession of that same light and knowledge, and that second individual receives it.
None of us creates light or knowledge; it's already in existence. God possesses all of it. We're just the recipients of it.
Whether a child is receiving light and knowledge from his earthly father or his Heavenly Father, the process is the same. The only difference is the medium of communication. Our Heavenly Father stands behind a veil and speaks to us through mediums we're not yet able to explain or dissect. But, that's not bad. In fact, it's very good!
Like our physical bodies, our spirits have senses. Our senses are mechanisms through which we experience. God, our Father, can engage our spiritual senses. Spiritual experiences bring knowledge unlike what we experience through our physical senses. Precisely because the spiritual is permanent and the physical temporary (we are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience), real experiences amass real, permanent knowledge, while temporal knowledge accrued through the temporal senses feels, well, temporary.
If I explained budgeting to my child over a cell phone, he could still learn the information. I'm not near him, and he can't see me. This is no different than God communicating with our spirits through spiritual senses. Whether in person, over the phone, or through spiritual mechanisms, the concept of revelation remains the same.
The idea of miracles is also frequently and similarly mystified. The process of a seed being planted in soil, growing into a tree, and then producing fruit which I then eat, gaining energy for that day, is by some standards NOT miraculous because each stage of this process can be explained. We can even draw pictures which illustrate our understanding. However, when bread falls from heaven, it's thought to be different because we don't know how clouds can produce bread. Regardless of means, miracles are Gods blessings for His children.
The mystification of revelation and miracles stems from the belief that the explanation of a process is the same as the creation of the process. In no case has a man or woman taught another a truth which did not first exist in God. And in no case is any man or woman blessed by any thing resulting in any measure of joy which did not proceed from God, and which could not be called a miracle. 1
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Friday, July 19, 2013
Living the Dream
In plan A,
there is a point called "as good as it gets". Our Advocate has
said, "There is no greater gift than the gift of Salvation" 1. Plan B theology rejects
the notion of "as good as it gets" 2. Our adversary believes
there is a gift greater than that which Plan A offers. Part of the infamous
lure of Plan B is derived from this prospect. It is natural to
want to maximize our happiness. Therefore, we often do not accept
limitations until we endure more pain in futility than the pain of
disappointment.
Because our
agency or Choice is our
"self", eliminating it, even for a cause as worthy as Utopia, is
self-defeating (pun intended). Because we are all interconnected (because we
are all children of God) we cannot meet our own needs by eliminating another
person's choice. When we compel someone,
we remove their choice. When we remove their choice, we are eliminating
them. When we eliminate them, we are destroying ourselves.
Here is the great dividing principle between people who live life, and people who are
“living the dream”. People who choose to believe that agency or choice is
the essence of our "self" go on to live life. People who choose
to believe that agency or choice is not the essence of our "self” go on to
live a dream. We are either living life,
or we are deluded. 3
From the
moment a person chooses to try and eliminate choice, a covering grows 3. It grows over an empty pit - the one we are
digging in our "selves". This pit contains all the misery of
unmet needs. The unwanted removal of this covering is the stimulus for all
violence. This covering, or
cloak, serves at least 2 purposes: 1) Painted attractively, it serves
as The Lure to draw others unto it; 2) It hides them from The Love - God's
light shining upon them.
Hidden,
covered in darkness, souls naturally begin to sleep 4. There becomes less and less TO DO under that
cloak. Work is the tool for meeting needs. It's what adherents of Plan A
do. In the darkness, there is neither actual work nor a need for it. The
Lure of the covering is supposed to instigate connections while the pressure of
coercion maintains them, thus fulfilling one's every needs without work. That’s Plan B.
God lets
them sleep, mercifully. Dreams become sinners' only refuge from the
misery of unmet needs. In their dreams, they can be the rulers of kingdoms of only
imaginable varieties and glory. There, their minds flitter through chaos,
deifying bits and particles of unconnected imagery... 5
…Until they
are needed 6. They are never destroyed 7. For God’s purposes, there must be
opposition. And so, God allows them to R.I.P., under cover, in outer darkness. However, when needed to fulfill God's purposes in the end of man, to bring about a marvelous work and a wonder, their covering is removed and they are roused from their slumber. The removal of their covering exposes their pain and impels them to action. But, they are bridled by God, for He can
replace their covering at will. God has
subdued all His enemies. Their actions
suit God’s purposes 7. This is how
Lucifer, imagining himself a great usurper, came to be the catalyst in starting
our great journey toward Godhood by tempting Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit, or how he contributed to the greatest good since creation's dawn. 9 Here
is God’s description of His enemy: “His watchmen are blind. They are all dumb dogs…lying down, loving to slumber.” The zombies indeed rise from the dead, but all hell never breaks loose.
And so the
anesthesia one imbibes for pleasure at the onset of path B, becomes one’s
sedative in the end. Choosing sleep is
equated with death in scripture. Can you
see it? Not working, waiting for Bliss
to spontaneously combust, lying down to rest while waiting, in a coffin,
captive to the covering, unable or unwilling to see the light of reality. Limitless creations and kingdoms-for-one sustain
the sweetness of slumber…until the lights turn on. Then, there is weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth. 10
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1 D&C
6:13
2 Isaiah 56:10-11
3 "All real pleasure comes from doing God's will. This is because not doing it is a denial of Self. Denial of Self results in illusions, while correction of the error brings release from it." - ACIM chp1, VII-1 ~ "For behold, the Lord
hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have
closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the
prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your
iniquity. - 2 Nephi 27:5
4 Behold, he changed their
hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in
the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light
of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death,
and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them - Alma 5:7. O that ye would awake; awake
from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful
chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of
men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and
woe - 2 Nephi 1:13. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I
sleep the sleep of death - Psalms 13:3. In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them
drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake,
saith the Lord - Jeremiah 51:39. ~ "Thus with the baggage of the world was I sweetly burdened, as when in slumber; and the thoughts wherein I meditated upon Thee were like unto the efforts of those desiring to awake, who, still overpowered with a heavy drowsiness, are again steeped therein. And as no one desires to sleep always, and in the sober judgment of all waking is better, yet does a man generally defer to shake off drowsiness, when there is a heavy lethargy in all his limbs, and, though displeased, yet even after it is time to rise with pleasure yields to it, so was I assured that it were much better for me to give up myself to Thy charity, than to yield myself to my own cupidity; but the former course satisfied and vanquished me, the latter pleased me and fettered me. Nor had I aught to answer Thee calling to me, 'Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.' And to Thee showing me on every side, that what Thou saidst was true, I , convicted by the truth, had nothing at all to reply, but the drawling and drowsy words: 'Presently, lo, presently;' 'leave me a little while.' But 'presently, presently,' had no present; and my 'leave me a little while' went on for a long while. 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death' but Thy grace only, through Jesus Christ our Lord?" - St. Augustine (354 - 430 A.D.) in The Confessions of St. Augustine. The Easton Press, 1979, The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written. pg. 129-130.
5 Perhaps the history of the errors of mankind, all things considered, is more valuable and interesting than that of their discoveries. Truth is uniform and narrow; it constantly exists...but error is endlessly diversified; it has no reality, but is the pure and simple creation of the mind that invents it. In this field, the soul has room enough to expand herself, to display all her boundless faculties...extravagancies and absurdities. - Benjamin Franklin, Report of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and Other Commissioners, Charges by the King of France, with the Examination of the Animal Magnetism, as now practiced in Paris (1784), as quoted in Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, in the introduction, by Kathryn Schulz.
5 Perhaps the history of the errors of mankind, all things considered, is more valuable and interesting than that of their discoveries. Truth is uniform and narrow; it constantly exists...but error is endlessly diversified; it has no reality, but is the pure and simple creation of the mind that invents it. In this field, the soul has room enough to expand herself, to display all her boundless faculties...extravagancies and absurdities. - Benjamin Franklin, Report of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and Other Commissioners, Charges by the King of France, with the Examination of the Animal Magnetism, as now practiced in Paris (1784), as quoted in Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, in the introduction, by Kathryn Schulz.
6 For the day cometh that the Lord
shall utter his voice out
of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump
of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations:
Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again. - Doctrine and Covenants 43:18
7 1 Nephi 14:3 ~ "You can choose between loveless and miraculous channels of expression. You can make an empty shell, but you cannot express nothing at all. You can wait, delay, paralyze yourself, or reduce your creativity almost to nothing. But you cannot abolish it. You can destroy your medium of communication, but not your potential. You did not create yourself." ACIM 1-V-1,4-8
8 Isaiah 10:5-19, D&C 121:4
9 John 12:23-33
10 Matthew 22:13
8 Isaiah 10:5-19, D&C 121:4
9 John 12:23-33
10 Matthew 22:13
Saturday, June 29, 2013
The First Eternal Principle
Faith is the greatest, most essential ingredient to filling our needs. Of course, remaining in existence is prerequisite to filling our needs.
Because we are all children of God, we share some of the same matter. Because we share some of the same matter, we are inseparably connected. Because we are inseparably connected, one of our own needs is to meet the needs of others. When we meet others' needs, we are meeting some of our needs. When we meet our needs, we are meeting some of the needs of others. It is an endless, synergistic circle. The Glory of God is beyond scale. What is the end of an endless, synergistic cyclone? (1)
Therefore, faith in ourselves is, in a measure, faith in others, and vice-versa. When we do not have the faith to try and meet the needs of others, we cannot honestly believe that our own needs will be met. Our own needs are what generate the desire for faith in others, which faith acts like a thousand outstretched hands calling them home. Losing faith in others means we stop believing that all of our needs can be met.
In speaking of "practical spirituality" Marshall Rosenberg suggests that the meeting of needs is love. I love you by meeting your needs. And because meeting your needs meets mine, it can rightly be said that "no love is ever wasted. Its worth does not lie in reciprocity." - Neal A. Maxwell
In speaking of "practical spirituality" Marshall Rosenberg suggests that the meeting of needs is love. I love you by meeting your needs. And because meeting your needs meets mine, it can rightly be said that "no love is ever wasted. Its worth does not lie in reciprocity." - Neal A. Maxwell
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1 Ether 12:3 "by faith all things are fulfilled"
1 Ether 12:3 "by faith all things are fulfilled"
Gnome Sayin?
Some people refuse healing because their power is tied to their hurt - their own hurt and their ability to hurt, which are the same.
How can something be both true and false? By being incomplete.
The righteous love & hate the wicked. They hate their unnatural behavior and love their natural identity and potential as sons and daughters of God. The wicked just hate.
Both God and Mammon have their limits. God is limited in what He is permitted to do, but has power to do anything. The devil is not limited in what he is permitted to do, but has no power to do anything.
Both God and Mammon have their limits. God is limited in what He is permitted to do, but has power to do anything. The devil is not limited in what he is permitted to do, but has no power to do anything.
Self-interest can be interpreted as focus on one's own choices, 100% personal accountability, or, the opposite of blame.
You can't believe that we're all interconnected and believe that the choices of others do not affect you.
I suppose when you live in a culture saturated with easily and deceitfully offended people, offending people becomes a virtue.
Whatever they throw at me makes me stronger. Whatever they throw at me makes them weak.
The "key of knowledge" is forged in the furnace of faith.
The "key of knowledge" is forged in the furnace of faith.
Not knowing what we do begins with not knowing who we are.
What is stands, among all existence, as the greatest condemnation of what is not. And what is not stands, among all existence, as the greatest witness of what is.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "by proving contraries, truth is made manifest" (HC 6:248).
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "by proving contraries, truth is made manifest" (HC 6:248).
The outcome is not in my hands; only the effort is.
When you see someone be mean toward themselves, expect them to be mean toward you later.
All light and knowledge is contained in a library which is owned by the Gods. We are permitted to check items out, and even make copies, but the copyrights all belong to the Gods, so they can pull our copies at any time.
If you communicate exactly how you feel, you'll never send the wrong message.
Art has no beauty of itself. The beauty we experience with art is being drawn from us.
It's good to recognize how God has guided my life. It's better to trust that He's doing so now.
Everybody burns. Some turn to gold. Some disintegrate. But, everybody burns.
All things testify of AA's step 3, which is work; specifically, it is the work we have to do.
The darkened path NEVER brings reward. The lit path brings NEVERENDING rewards.
All creative power is bridled. Of what use is unbridled power? Therefore, bridle your passions, or be bridled.
Only those can help who have been helped; so, receive!
I am not ashamed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
By reason of what I might not have, I have much; by reason of the fact that I could have nothing, I have everything.
Don't expect to find Eternal Life before you find your present life.
Mock now, burn later. Burn now, mock later.
Don't reprove those who mock goodness; it's the only happiness they have.
Whether I walk through a wilderness, and pick my manna off the ground each day, or walk through the promised land and buy my resources with the money in my bank account, it is the same. One is not more miraculous than the other. One is no less provided by God.
If I believe it, one day it can make sense to me. If I disbelieve it, it can never make sense to me.
'Living in the past', and 'livinging in the future' are misnomers. Living only occurs in the present.
Evil must exist, but existing is evil's final value.
In terms of accomplishment, direction is everything; distance is nothing.
A person cannot sustainably be "made to see" or understand. It can occur for a moment, but 'a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still'.
When you see someone be mean toward themselves, expect them to be mean toward you later.
All light and knowledge is contained in a library which is owned by the Gods. We are permitted to check items out, and even make copies, but the copyrights all belong to the Gods, so they can pull our copies at any time.
If you communicate exactly how you feel, you'll never send the wrong message.
Art has no beauty of itself. The beauty we experience with art is being drawn from us.
It's good to recognize how God has guided my life. It's better to trust that He's doing so now.
Everybody burns. Some turn to gold. Some disintegrate. But, everybody burns.
All things testify of AA's step 3, which is work; specifically, it is the work we have to do.
The darkened path NEVER brings reward. The lit path brings NEVERENDING rewards.
All creative power is bridled. Of what use is unbridled power? Therefore, bridle your passions, or be bridled.
Only those can help who have been helped; so, receive!
I am not ashamed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
By reason of what I might not have, I have much; by reason of the fact that I could have nothing, I have everything.
Don't expect to find Eternal Life before you find your present life.
Mock now, burn later. Burn now, mock later.
There are two types of burning: 1) the burn of work, or 2) the burn of unsatiated desire.
Burning serves to refine, and those who will not be refined will burn forever.
Don't reprove those who mock goodness; it's the only happiness they have.
Whether I walk through a wilderness, and pick my manna off the ground each day, or walk through the promised land and buy my resources with the money in my bank account, it is the same. One is not more miraculous than the other. One is no less provided by God.
If I believe it, one day it can make sense to me. If I disbelieve it, it can never make sense to me.
'Living in the past', and 'livinging in the future' are misnomers. Living only occurs in the present.
Evil must exist, but existing is evil's final value.
In terms of accomplishment, direction is everything; distance is nothing.
The obstruction to learning caused by the poor delivery of information can be overcome by the eagerness of the student.
The purpose of plenty is to assist those in need.
Know yourself, and help yourself.
If God is in my heart, then I'm in heaven.
The doctrine of determinism offers the hope of the lottery. The doctrine of agency, or individual choice, offers the assurance of certainty. 2 Nephi 10:23
A person cannot sustainably be "made to see" or understand. It can occur for a moment, but 'a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still'.
Don't be surprised that some people avoid understanding. They don't want it. Understanding comes with responsibility the way choices come with consequences. Some people don't want responsibility. Therefore, logic and reason are to some adults what chores are for most children. Jeremiah 4:22
All I have to do is work, and the kingdom is mine. In other words, the path is paved and the incline is adjusted to my capabilities, so that all I have to do is walk.
There is a pervasive notion that doing nothing is the way to be. But, because choice is followed by consequence, doing nothing yields nothing. Doing something yields something. And, doing your best yields the best.
If the world is run by those who show up, then so, too, by extention, is the universe.
Because God is everything that is light, true, and real, and choosing anything other than God is pride, pride, then, is a choice for darkness, lies, and illusion.
All I have to do is work, and the kingdom is mine. In other words, the path is paved and the incline is adjusted to my capabilities, so that all I have to do is walk.
There is a pervasive notion that doing nothing is the way to be. But, because choice is followed by consequence, doing nothing yields nothing. Doing something yields something. And, doing your best yields the best.
If the world is run by those who show up, then so, too, by extention, is the universe.
Because God is everything that is light, true, and real, and choosing anything other than God is pride, pride, then, is a choice for darkness, lies, and illusion.
What do you call someone who invests in a plan that has never before worked? A dreamer. Plan B Groupies have an undisputed claim on that title. And who else dreams, but the sleeping?
Why do we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith? Because we have to want it. Why won't God give to one who doesn't want to receive? Because he'd have to force our hands open, and that possibility is not provided for in Plan A.
Decisions determine destiny, and ideas determine decisions.
Decisions determine destiny, and ideas determine decisions.
Don't let the pain of missing a solution prevent you from finding an alternative.
Christ is to my mind and heart what a chiropractor is to my muscles and bones.
All things are possible for Christ, even when he's partnered with me - Ed
Equality ends the rat race.
The Old Testament is to God's people what manual labor was to the Karate Kid (original).
Ritual is to us what painting the fence was to the Karate Kid.
Hurt people hurt people, and healed people heal people; so, seek Jesus.
The problem with relativism - which is the alternative to The Law and the logical outcropping of the concept of evolution - is that it contradicts itself; the relativist says "no one can know anything, and I know it!" could there be greater evidence of delusion or immaturity? And we are supposed to take these people seriously?
When some guy gives away free candy bars, people from miles line up for miles. But, when some God gives away free life, few extend their arms to receive.
Every being is interconnected; and every action influences other beings. My goal is to maximize my positive influence and minimize my negative influence. I cannot cease to influence without ceasing to exist, nor can I cease existing.
To be righteous, I must be willing to kill (let people die); this out of respect for Choice.
Seek life eternally, and you will find eternal life. Eternal life is as much a place as infinity is a number.
Since all who do God's will know it's better, we can conclude that those who disagree aren't even trying.
I can not earn my salvation, but I must choose it, again and again.
Pleasure is dessert, not the meal. When pleasure becomes the meal, the body and soul suffer because the greater needs of the body and soul go unmet. I sometimes use pleasure to anesthitize my suffering. But, I must face suffering in order to overcome it. When I avoid suffering, I am eventually overcome by it.
I am always working to meet the needs of others, because that is a need of mine; and when efforts become counter-productive, I wait actively.
Since all who do God's will know it's better, we can conclude that those who disagree aren't even trying.
I can not earn my salvation, but I must choose it, again and again.
Pleasure is dessert, not the meal. When pleasure becomes the meal, the body and soul suffer because the greater needs of the body and soul go unmet. I sometimes use pleasure to anesthitize my suffering. But, I must face suffering in order to overcome it. When I avoid suffering, I am eventually overcome by it.
I am always working to meet the needs of others, because that is a need of mine; and when efforts become counter-productive, I wait actively.
When relativists cry "tolerance!", justice laughs.
In theory, political correctness is about respect. In practice, it's about protecting certain agendas through playing the role of victim.
Those who are disappointed in God are not looking to Him. They are looking toward their own expectations or to some counterfeit. God never disappoints. This fact will be witnessed on the day when every knee bows, and the power which will bow knees is derived from this fact.
The only hope the world has of breaking from the cycle of self-destruction is if a critical number of us do our best to comply with The Law, thus becoming whole, and connecting with each other in unity.
Saturating cultures with reflections of Deity is as intolerant and disrespectful as the sun saturating earth with its rays. Let your light shine!
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Platinum Rule: Treat others the way they want to be treated.
The Rule: We treat others the way we treat ourselves.
The powers of sin aren't bad; they're unbridled.
God is under rock bottom.
The righteous don't take God's name in vain for the same reason the sane, when in peril, don't taunt and mock their only rescuer. Anyone who doesn't see that this world is in peril, lying constantly on the brink of destruction, has his eyes closed.
Like light cuts through the darkness, speak reason in a world of confusion.
Those who are disappointed in God are not looking to Him. They are looking toward their own expectations or to some counterfeit. God never disappoints. This fact will be witnessed on the day when every knee bows, and the power which will bow knees is derived from this fact.
The only hope the world has of breaking from the cycle of self-destruction is if a critical number of us do our best to comply with The Law, thus becoming whole, and connecting with each other in unity.
Saturating cultures with reflections of Deity is as intolerant and disrespectful as the sun saturating earth with its rays. Let your light shine!
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Platinum Rule: Treat others the way they want to be treated.
The Rule: We treat others the way we treat ourselves.
The powers of sin aren't bad; they're unbridled.
God is under rock bottom.
The righteous don't take God's name in vain for the same reason the sane, when in peril, don't taunt and mock their only rescuer. Anyone who doesn't see that this world is in peril, lying constantly on the brink of destruction, has his eyes closed.
Like light cuts through the darkness, speak reason in a world of confusion.
Of course the wicked speak 1/2 truths, they're only 1/2 way through their journey.
To 'harden' one's heart is to believe that God's motives are other than what He says they are
The classic victim bait and switch: you hate me because (some
unalterable trait) ; now, grant me
advantages because (some unalterable
trait) .
To 'harden' one's heart is to believe that God's motives are other than what He says they are
The First Order of Business
Self-preservation is the first order of business.
What is self, but what I choose? Our ability to choose is our identity. It's our flavor. Without it, we are not what we are. St. Augustine in his Confessions said "I knew as well that I had a will as that I lived." book VII, part III. Autonomy is our self.
Plan Bers cannot agree to disagree. The basic tenets of their faith do not allow for it. They seek to eliminate choice. Since we are our choices, they seek eliminate themselves and us. Satan was a murderer from the beginning (1). To "overcome" is to retain our agency in the face of all that Satan uses to persuade us to forsake it (pleasure and pain). Since evil is ever existent and ever wanting our destruction, self-preservation becomes the first order of business. It is the second birth. It is equal to the creation of life. It is keeping the eternal fire burning, and it is primarily man's role.
Self-preservation is the first and the last battle between God and Satan. It is the first and the last principle in man's development. In the war in heaven, we fought Lucifer for man's agency. In this life, we often lose our bodies in the war for agency. But, the point will come when the very last attempt of our adversary and his minions to destroy our autonomy will fail. The war will not go on forever. The war is our development. In the end, we will shut our adversary away, to protect ourselves, because he is unable to stop seeking our destruction.
Our souls consist of our spirit and our body. Our spirit is eternal. All of our bodies will die. Self-preservation, in our current state, is comprised of both spiritual and temporal preservation, or, protecting our spirit and our body. In the scriptures, we read about men who are praised for laying down their lives (2), and men who are praised for taking up the sword (3). This may seem like a paradox. In reality, it is a matter of priority. Protection of both is important, but protection of the spirit is most important. If we surrender our bodies to death, our spirits will still live. If we surrender our spirits to death, both parts of us will die. Therefore, our need to protect the existence of our body is smaller than our need to protect the existence of our spirit. In cases of war, those who protect both spirit and body are heralded (3). When the protection of the body is a threat to the protection of the spirit, those who sacrifice their body are heralded (2). When the protection of the spirit is not in danger, protection of the body is our first priority.
(4)
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1 John 8:44
2 Alma 24
3 Alma 48:17
4 Force has been given to us to defend our own individual rights. Who will dare to say that force has been given to us to destroy the equal rights of our brothers? - Frederic Bastiat, The Law
What is self, but what I choose? Our ability to choose is our identity. It's our flavor. Without it, we are not what we are. St. Augustine in his Confessions said "I knew as well that I had a will as that I lived." book VII, part III. Autonomy is our self.
Plan Bers cannot agree to disagree. The basic tenets of their faith do not allow for it. They seek to eliminate choice. Since we are our choices, they seek eliminate themselves and us. Satan was a murderer from the beginning (1). To "overcome" is to retain our agency in the face of all that Satan uses to persuade us to forsake it (pleasure and pain). Since evil is ever existent and ever wanting our destruction, self-preservation becomes the first order of business. It is the second birth. It is equal to the creation of life. It is keeping the eternal fire burning, and it is primarily man's role.
Self-preservation is the first and the last battle between God and Satan. It is the first and the last principle in man's development. In the war in heaven, we fought Lucifer for man's agency. In this life, we often lose our bodies in the war for agency. But, the point will come when the very last attempt of our adversary and his minions to destroy our autonomy will fail. The war will not go on forever. The war is our development. In the end, we will shut our adversary away, to protect ourselves, because he is unable to stop seeking our destruction.
Our souls consist of our spirit and our body. Our spirit is eternal. All of our bodies will die. Self-preservation, in our current state, is comprised of both spiritual and temporal preservation, or, protecting our spirit and our body. In the scriptures, we read about men who are praised for laying down their lives (2), and men who are praised for taking up the sword (3). This may seem like a paradox. In reality, it is a matter of priority. Protection of both is important, but protection of the spirit is most important. If we surrender our bodies to death, our spirits will still live. If we surrender our spirits to death, both parts of us will die. Therefore, our need to protect the existence of our body is smaller than our need to protect the existence of our spirit. In cases of war, those who protect both spirit and body are heralded (3). When the protection of the body is a threat to the protection of the spirit, those who sacrifice their body are heralded (2). When the protection of the spirit is not in danger, protection of the body is our first priority.
(4)
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1 John 8:44
2 Alma 24
3 Alma 48:17
4 Force has been given to us to defend our own individual rights. Who will dare to say that force has been given to us to destroy the equal rights of our brothers? - Frederic Bastiat, The Law
The Love and Lure
The Love is action. It is the work God and His workers do to bring others to the optimal state of their design. It is reaching out to meet the needs of others and looking inward to maximize compliance with The Law.
The Lure is inaction. It is the enticing theory marketed by the devil and his subscribers which claims that all bliss can be had without price, without work (except the work required to establish the system, which would then eliminate pain and be maintained perpetually by force). It is face painting for the sake of enticement, believing that when enough people sign up (ironically, by Choice), Utopia will spontaneously combust; thus, placing attractiveness on the pedestal as mankind's greatest virtue. No wonder God refers to His greatest enemy as a whore.
Because God's love for us is so pure and altruistic, because He only ever desires what is best for us, and because He knows even better than we do what is, in fact, best for us, any doctrine or teaching that persuades men to follow any strategies other than God's for meeting their needs - in other words pride - is worthy of the most heated condemnation. In fact, only the most heated condemnation can adequately communicate God's love.
Plan A's goal and means of achieving it are clearly stated. The path is known. The biggest challenge may be boredom.
Plan B's goal is clearly stated, but it's means of achieving it are vague. The unknowns in this plan give it its mystery and lure. Excitement is it's draw. -------------------------------------------------------------------
"Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love." ACIM 1-IV-3,1
Plan B's goal is clearly stated, but it's means of achieving it are vague. The unknowns in this plan give it its mystery and lure. Excitement is it's draw. -------------------------------------------------------------------
"Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love." ACIM 1-IV-3,1
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