A Little Gospel Thought of the Week:

The Prophet Joseph Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints defined the first principle of the gospel as “faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”. (Articles Of Faith 1) It is that defining phrase “in the Lord Jesus Christ” that we sometimes forget. Too often we offer our prayer and then wait to see whether our request will be granted, as though approval would provide needed evidence of His existence. That is not faith! Faith is, quite simply, a confidence in the Lord. In the Prophet Mormon’s words, it is “a firm mind in every form of godliness” (Moroni 7:30) In class this semester we read about the three Hebrew magistrates and how they expressed trust that the Lord would deliver them from the fiery furnace, “but if not,” they said to the king, “we will not serve thy gods” (Daniel 3:18). Not three but four men were seen in the midst of the flames, and “the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25).

It is common in this day and age to say that seeing is believing. The way of the Lord is best defined by a different maxim: Believing is seeing. Faith in the Lord is the premise, not the conclusion.  I know He lives; therefore, I trust Him to bless me according to His divine will and wisdom.

In the book of Daniel chapter three, it is the story of  Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon who created a golden image and told his people that they must worship this idol and if they do not, then they will be cast into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were set over the affairs of Babylon, but because they were Jews, they worshiped a different God and would not worship the kings Idol. They (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego) had faith in the Lord and knew that he would bless them according to their faith. They knew that they could trust God—even if things didn’t turn out the way they hoped. They knew that faith is more than a mental assent, more than an acknowledgment that God lives. Faith is total trust in Him. Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He (God) does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him.

After reading the Old Testament completely through, sad to say, for the first time; I started to realized how much the Lord has played a part in my individual life. Daily I go throughout my mundane day and forget to notice what the Lord has done for me. He is always with me; He helps me, leads me, guides me and prompts me to do what is right.

God blesses us in many ways. I had a Church calling that required me to attend a meeting this morning at 6:30am. After the meeting, I was in a hurry to return home to complete my final written exams. Being the good citizen that I am, seeing hardly any cars about so early in the morning, I was driving almost ten over the speed limit.  The light turned yellow, frustrated that I had to stop, I slowed down and then began to wait at the red light. I soon noticed a police vehicle to the right of me. If I had not had a red light or I had sped up during the yellow light, I am sure that I would have been pulled over and received a ticket for speeding. The Lord blessed me and let me off the hook this time. I drove the speed limit the rest of the way home!

By reading the Old Testament I’ve been more open to myself and keeping tabs to make sure that I don’t fall into a pattern of being blessed by God and then take it for granted to a point that the Lord needs to be strict and help me to humble myself once more over and over again.  Where much is given, much is required. I’ve learned that I need to do my part to be worthy of receiving the blessings of God.

“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” (John 16:27-28)

Is man Generally Good or Bad?

“It is more likely, mankind have a little corrupted nature, for they were not born wolves, and they have become wolves; God has given them neither cannon of four-and-twenty pounders, nor bayonets; and yet they have made cannon and bayonets to destroy one another.” –Candide, Voltaire

Has mankind become like wolves? Have I become a wolf or am I generally more bad then good? NO! I am not a wolf! Mankind’s God given nature is to be good, to do good. In the movie “Batman” Rachel Dawes gave a profound statement:

“Deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be. But it's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you.”

In society we are judged by what others see us do. Batman did great things, he saved lives, cared for and helped those in need; yet what society saw and Rachel Dawes saw in him was the rich, self-centered, player that was given. Though that was not truly who Batman really was, that is what he allowed others to see. We are born good. We have an instinct to be good, but that does not mean that we always do good. Rachel Dawes was correct in her statement that even though we may be good within, it matters what we do on the outside. Our actions can change who we become and can slowly lead us to become wolves or perfect ourselves to be the best form of man that we can be.

In the book Candide by Voltaire, Candide travels to many different societies, yet all but one treated him rudely and gave no compassion. Yet the Anti-Baptist James cared for Candide and sheltered him.  James was truly good. Though, in the end the Anti-Baptist James was drowned for saving others and doing good to mankind. Why is it that good individuals tend to suffer and those who tend to do wrong are given authority and power?

I have many reasons as to why I believe that good individuals suffer, at times- I have been the one that suffers. Firstly, I believe that we are conditioned to be and do either good or bad. In this generation, I am not seeing as many individuals that have been conditioned and taught to do good and have a desire to be good. God gives us natural instincts to be good, but if we are not taught that those principles are good, they slowly fade from the surface. Secondly, those who have been taught how to be good, yet struggle to do good, tend to wrong the individuals doing good, to lower their self-esteem and confidence so that the one struggling won’t feel as if there is competition to be good. Mainly this happens because they know what is good and how to be good, yet it is not always easy to be and do good, and because of their lack of confidence, they smash others down as well because of jealousy.

Lastly, in 1984 Winston for the first time perceived,

“If you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself. You must know all the while that it is there, but until it is needed you must never let it emerge into your consciousness in any shape that could be given a name.” (1984, George Orwell, 280)

Winston obeyed the party, but he still hated the party. We Know what is good, God has provided us with the knowledge of knowing, but we hide it from ourselves as if it is a secret. The examples we have today, our peers and those around us either express or are an example of good or bad. When we are around those who have conditioned themselves to do wrong, we internally know it is wrong and yet follow the examples of those around us while trying to hide the fact of it being wrong in our minds until we have convinced ourselves that it morally is good.  Deep down inside though, like Winston- we will obey ‘the party’ but we will always know that the pary is wrong, we have hid this secret so far back in our minds that when it tries to emerge, we hardly notice it and shove it even deeper into our minds.

Winston’s society was based out of fear. I believe that when fear arises, it is easier to become corrupt. With a our core principle as fear, we tend to turn to a survival mode. We then slowly become, as William Golding would call it, Savages.

Being good may seem weak, but the truth of it is: The more good we do, the stronger we become. If there is no potential to becoming stronger, then why would others care enough to tear us down? Piggy in Lord of the flies seemed to many like a weak individual. Yet once he was dead and gone, they finally realized how much he was needed. Tyrants rule out of fear because those who are good, grow and become strong, so in order to suppress them, they rule by fear so that society will smash them down and they will be able to remain in power. I consider that a survival mode for tyrants. Because of that survival mode, power becomes abused.

In conclusion, as Machiavelli would state: “Good or Bad is determined upon its outcome.” We as a society generally are good people, but we become scared to do what is good at times and back away because of fear. In the Long run, if we show ourselves as wolves, we become wolves. But again, Good or Bad is determined upon its outcome.

What is my outcome going to be? What do you want your outcome to be? It is your choice.

What I learned from Voltaire:

CANDIDE

Voltaire 1759

Randomly awesome fact:

-Voltaire wrote Candide in three days.

·      New faiths are changing the structure of the world. And if one does not agree with other faiths- he believes in his own faith. We are have our own faith (belief).

Ch. One-

·      “His countenance was a true picture of his soul” –Voltaire

·      Can I be said of that? Do I show who I am inside?(it’s not who you are inside, but what you do that defines you)

·      Name: Pangloss = all languages (greek)

Ch. Three-

·      “What are you doing here? Are you here for the good cause?”

·      Am I here where I am for a good cause? What am I doing here?

Ch. Four-

·      It is more likely, mankind have a little corrupted nature, for they were not born wolves, and they have become wolves; God has given them neither cannon of four-and-twenty pounders, nor bayonets; and yet they have made cannon and bayonets to destroy one another.”

Ch. Five-

·      Great earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal –Nov. 1, 1755 (3/4 of Lisbon destroyed)

·      Earthquake in Lima, Peru -1754 (sulfur underground)

·      “Liberty is consistent with absolute necessity, for it was necessary we should be free.” –Pangloss

Ch. Six-

·      “If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?” –Candide

·      Why is it that it’s usually the good people in a society that ten to suffer because of others?

·      Why was Anti-Baptist James drowned for saving others and doing good to mankind? Can I change this?

Ch. Seven-

·      Name: Candide = Ingenuous/optimism

·      What’s up with people in history always fainting so easily from astonishment?

Ch. Eight-

·      “I resisted him better than the Bulgarian Solider. A modest women may be ravisher once, but her virtue is strengthened by it.” –Cunegonde

·      The more trilas we face, the stronger we grow from them if conquered  correctly.

·      What did Cunegonde mean by what she said?

·      What is the “auto-da-fe’”  = “Act of Faith” It was a public ceremony held by the inquisition where heretics were tried, condemned and burned at the stake. After the Lisbon earthquake the auto-da-fe was held in a fruitless attempt to ward off further earthquakes.

Ch. Nine-

·      “My beautiful young lady, when on is a lover, jealous and whipped by the inquisition, one stops at nothing.” –Candide

·      Was he right in killing both of them?

·      What is an Andalusian horse?

Ch. Eleven-

·      Word: Moor

Ch. Eighteen-

·      I love how Voltaire showed the differences between the governments through story form and how you can see how the government affect his character Candide.

Ch. Nineteen-

·      “My friend, you see how perishable are the riches of the world; there is nothing solid but virtue, and the happiness of seeing Cunegonde once more.” –Cacambo

Ch. Twenty-

·      “Secret greifs are more cruel than public calamitites.”

·      This reminds me of what I do at times, hold things in and nobody ever knows. Health wise, it’s horrible.

·      Word: Diabolical

·      “You see, that crime is sometimes punished…”(Candide)… “yes, but why should the passengers be doomed also to destruction? God has punished the knave, and the devil has drowned the rest” (Martin)

·      hmmm…interesting.

Ch. Twenty-Five-

·      “Plato observed a long while ago that those stomachs are not the best that reject all sorts of food.”

·      What kind of stomach do I have?

Ch. Thirty-

·      Three Great Evils:

1.     Weariness

2.     Vice

3.     Want

·      “We must cultivate our garden” –Candide

·      “For when a man was first placed in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum, that he might cultivate it; which shows that man was not born to be idle.”

·      What does “ut operaretur eum” mean? = “in order to work on it” (Latin)

The End!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!