Today’s Real Reality Show

Hey readers. You may want to catch today’s Preparedness Pro article. I clearly outline the deception that is taking place in the manipulation of the price of gold. I’d had to see anyone rest their worries in that asset without first being warned. Here’s the link.

The Real Reason Behind the Federal Reserve’s Statement

By Kellene Bishop

Today the Federal Reserve released a statement in which they attempted to assure consumers that all will be well in spite of the recent economic events. But as members of the House of Israel who will play a key role in The Gathering in these latter days it’s imperative that we are not deceived.

Artist Stands on the Right; BYU on the Left

It’s a sad time in my household. There’s almost a feeling of mourning–mourning for those who are so clearly deceived.

Jon McNaughton, a talented artist, took my breath away with two of his paintings last fall. What I saw depicted on the canvas nearly matched my own mental pictures as to the relationship between our Savior and the U.S. Constitution when held up to judge the wicked men who would desecrate it. I was so moved by these two paintings that  I saved up for them and they became my husband’s Christmas gift. (He loved them!) We made room for them to be hung in our front room where they would not be missed or overlooked. Unfortunately, our very own Brigham Young University AND its bookstore, have decided that one of the paintings in particular is “too controversial” and “uncomfortable” and according to the authors depiction of events, have deceived and wrangled the artist.  Ultimately, the artist felt he had no other choice but to pull all of his artwork from the store. Even worse though to me was the response he received from the BYU President, denying that there was anything amiss about the whole scenario. I must say, as I read the artist’s account of the series of events, I envisioned what it must have been like with the scheming deception among Kishkumen or Gadianton. “Let’s tell the artist this.”  “Be sure to cover the story like this…” “Let’s twist the words of our position like this…” And so forth. I envision wringing hands, hunched shoulders, corners of darkness where these plans of deception and cowardice were seeded.

I am saddened to see that even a corporation of the Church can be brought to such blatantly wrong choices, in support of the adversary, rather than that which is virtuous, lovely or of good report. I’m saddened to know (and not just because of this occasion) that the BYU has come to employ conspiring men/women right in their midst who have shown their colors in this manner.  I am saddened too that there does not seem to be enough courage and virtue left in our own community to right this situation at present.  And I am saddened most to know that this is just the beginning of startling acts of evil indifference which we will see, even among the “elect” in these truly last days.

I can honestly say that I hope and pray that the brave and the virtuous will no longer be comfortable to act as an armchair quarterback in such manners. There will be no more critical time than this in which we live to wave our titles of liberty, to stand for righteousness, and to do all we can to protect ourselves from falling as those we see before us. We must feast upon the word of God in our scriptures, our church meetings, and at the temple in order to have any chance to maintain any semblance of freedom in our lives during this darkening time.

Far too many times I hear members of the Church make the comment that the Church cannot afford to have any political opinion whatsoever. However, this is an absolutely false presumption.  H. Verlan Anderson, a General Authority, was a dear friend to President Benson, a well-known patriot. With President Benson’s hearty endorsement, Anderson put out a book called “Many are Called, But Few Are Chosen.” In fact, President Benson, the prophet at that time, spoke during General Conference and actually encouraged all of the members of the Church to read Anderson’s book.  Brother Anderson subsequently came out with a second book called “The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil.” This second book goes into to deeper exploration of the tenets which he discusses in his first book. If you are of the belief that there is a difference between a private and political stance  or a spiritual and a political one, then I beg you to read this book which boldly states the truth of the matter, championed with scriptures and words of our prophets and apostles in these latter days. If you haven’t read either of the books, I suspect that both of them will prove to be stirring , at the least.
In closing, I applaud Brother McNaughton for taking the stand which he has on this matter. I pray for the healing of his soul though as he mourns the errors of his fellowmen.  May he be strengthened in knowing that he has used his talents for the better good and that he is on the Lord’s side.  And lastly, may he know that while there are few who would stand with him, he does not stand alone, and never will so long as my husband and I are around.

Do We Really Have an Immigration Problem?

By Kellene Bishop

I have to confess. I felt a bit guilty about the feelings I had about illegal immigration when the Church came out with their position on the matter.  Yes, I was one of those who felt that our Church leaders needed to come out stronger against illegal immigration.  After all, didn’t we believe in living the laws of the land? On the other hand though I knew that I believed everything else that I had been taught by the apostles and prophets and that there was no reason to believe that this was the first sign of being lead astray by the same. So, seeing myself at odds with their position, I decided to give it much thought, prayer, and research.  I’m happy to say that I no longer feel conflicted between my feelings of illegal immigration and the position of the leaders of the church. I hope that I might be able to assist some of my fellow church members to come to this same end as well.

The question was posed to me, “Who are we to tell a person where they can and can’t live?”  My immediate response was “Well what about believing in living the laws of the land?”  A quick retort, “That’s a completely different issue aside from immigration.”

Ok. I admit. I was stymied. Of course, to me it wasn’t a different matter. My problem with illegal immigration is that people were coming into this country illegally, committing crimes, spreading diseases because they didn’t come in with a proper medical screening, and bankrupting our economy because of the exorbitant amount of welfare that we spend on them for education, health care, and welfare. I felt that such behavior was the worst kind of stealing and I couldn’t see why such a crime was something that I should tolerate, even with apathy.  My wise mentor then encouraged me to think through what I had just said, giving me some thought-provoking considerations along the way.

If we cannot legally and forcibly take from one person and give it to another, then it is not an authority that we can bestow upon our government to do. Any law which contains these characteristics is clearly an unjust law.  And yet our welfare mentality today commits the very act of forcibly taking from one person and giving to another.  As Elder H. Verlan Andersen puts it so well in his book The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil, “If we would steal, except for the fear of being punished or exposed, then our approval of laws which forcibly take property from its rightful owner and give it to those to whom it does not belong would demonstrate this trait. If we would commit extortion except for fear of being caught, then our support of licensing laws which forcibly deny people freedom to enter legitimate business and patronize whom they please will reflect this criminal tendency.”  Ouch. I think he just put me in my place with this sound reasoning. (Thank goodness my truth detector was working this time)  If I support an act by the government that I could not get away with on my own, then I am supporting the very same crime as if it was committed by myself or another person in my stead. Just as a man is guilty of attempted murder when he attempts to pay to have someone killed, so too am I guilty if I support, and even pay to have, my government officials take from one person and give to another.

That being said, I ask myself, do I really believe that I have the authority to tell a person where they can and cannot live? So long as a person does not trample on the freedoms of others, I have no claim against them. If there are jobs to fill, land to live on, and lives to enjoy here in America, then who am I to say who can and cannot enter? If they enter as law-abiding citizens, then how can I judge whether or not they shall possess this land which is not mine to give or take; it is God’s land. If you really think about it, the promised Lost Tribes of Israel are likely to come here “from the North” without going through the necessary paperwork that we demand of others today.  I strongly doubt that anyone will be stirring up a fuss just because they didn’t get the “OK” from DHS or the Border Patrol.  As I understand it, the scriptures are very clear that the Lord Himself will guide people to come to this land.

All kidding aside, what about those who come here illegally, in a non-lawful manner?  It hit me one day as I was stopped to the side of the road, being issued a speeding ticket.  While a judge had yet to pronounce my guilt or innocence, on the surface it certainly appeared that I had broken a law.  Clearly I’d have to be a hermit not to associate with any other person who had also broken a law. I even have a friend or two who find themselves in prison in recompense for a crime they were found guilty to have committed.  Does that mean that I am released from having charity, love and compassion towards any of these persons? Nope. So the being upset because they come into this nation without following the appointed protocol, that is not between me and them. That is between them and the Lord and I really should be more concerned about my standing before the Lord in harboring so much greed and selfishness at the thought of some of His other children taking a bit of what He’s blessed me with.  So, the whole coming here illegally thing really can’t be the basis of my indignation—not by any stretch of logic anyway.

As I consider what distresses me the most about those who enter this country illegally, I realize it is NOT because someone may come here, uphold the laws of this land, embrace the laws, standards, and cultures of this land, and attempt to be a profitable community member of this nation. Is not the Lord is clear when He states that there is “enough and to spare?” I have no reason to be concerned that just because one of His children receives such blessings it is not at the cost of my surviving, right? Rather I realize that what truly disturbs me are those who enter this country and seek to steal, with the help of my government, from myself and my fellowman in support of their livelihoods. And because the theft is aided and abetted by the laws which Man has made, there are no contributions of talents, skills, and virtue from those who receive their substance freely.  Rather they are led to believe just as satan would have them believe—no good needs to be done to thrive. Simply “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Those who arrive here and believe that our hard-working citizens seemingly “owe the immigrants our sustenance and support” in restitution of some wrongs we have done unto them are simply falling for the very same lie that the Lamanites did for so many years as a result of the falsehoods passed down from one generation to another. The other enticing lie is that “because you have so much, you are obligated to give much to me”—another lie of satan, who seeks to absolve us all of any personal responsibility, such as living by the sweat of our brow” in exchange for all that we have. When I look at this scene with these additional considerations I realize that this is definitely not an immigration problem, because it is certainly not a problem that is strictly germane to those who come here from another country; rather this is clearly a welfare problem.

Welfare. What is it, really? Are we to believe that it is our government acting in a benevolent manner as they take a portion of all that they receive from our “voluntary contributions” and thereby allocate some of those resources in order to clothe the poor, feed the hungry, and heal the sick?  Nope. The monies which are allocated to pay for such dole lifestyles are forcibly taken from the hands of our citizens, upon the threat of liens, fines, interest and even jail.  In other words, a dollar is forcibly removed from one person in order to give it to another. As exciting and entertaining as a good Robin Hood movie is, the fact of the matter is that this clever combination, regardless of what it is labeled, is one of stealing and plunder, plain and simple. To make matters worse, those of us who support such government programs are not absolved of any guilt in this felonious act, rather those who support such programs are just as much culprits as those who handle and dispense the money.

Though such actions may attempt to be colored with words such as “charity, care, and giving,” the fruits of such acts are poison to the eternal soul of ourselves and this nation. There is no pretense set in God’s law which approves such action. The scriptures specifically lay out that the responsibility to care for the needy, the poor, and the widowed must be voluntary, not compulsory and that such a responsibility is to rest upon the shoulders of family, friends and church members. And in accordance to God’s law, such support is earned by whatever contribution the recipients are able to muster in exchange.

In a letter dated September 30, 1941 the First Presidency sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury in an attempt to establish their position on the latest welfare proposals for our nation at that time.

“Thus, according to the gospel plan under which the church is established and operates, the care of the widow, the orphan, and the poor, is a Church function, is a part of the brotherhood of man which underlies our whole social and religious life.

…it is a neighbor to neighbor obligation. It is not a function of civil government. This is fundamental…

…Viewing all of these things it will be easy for you to understand that the Church has not found it possible to follow along the lines of the present general tendency in the matter of property rights, taxes, the curtailment of rights and liberties of the people, nor in general the economic policies of what is termed the ‘New Deal.’ The great bulk of what these people are trying to do is, in the final analysis, absolutely contrary to the fundamental principles of which we have spoken. It is the considered, long considered opinion of President Grant and those who are associated with him that our nation cannot be preserved if the present governmental policies shall continue.

…This we feel we can definitely say, that unless the people of America forsake the sins and the error political and otherwise, of which they are now guilty and return to the practice of the great fundamental principles of Christianity , and of Constitutional government, there will be no exaltation for them spiritually, and politically we shall lose our liberty and free institutions.

Returning to your original letter and our reply thereto regarding the selling of defense Bonds. The Church as a Church does not believe in war and yet since its organization whenever war has come we have done our part…we do thoroughly believe in building up our home defenses to the maximum extent necessary, but we do not believe that aggression should be carried on in the name and under the false cloak of defense. We therefore look with sorrowing eyes at the present use to which a great part of the funds being raised by taxes and by borrowing is being put…We believe that our real threat comes from within and not from without, and it comes from the underlying spirit common to Naziism, Fascism, and Communism, namely, the spirit which would array class against class, which would set up a socialistic state of some sort, which would rob the people of the liberties which we possess under the Constitution, and would set up such a reign of terror as exists now in many parts of Europe.

This is just one of many ways in which we can be reminded of the danger which lies in our complacency in addressing this pandemic of slothfulness in our nation. But more importantly, as I’ve recently realized, it is the foundation which creates additional problems and with it more ways for me to sin in anger and rage. Thus I hope that now that I see what the problem is, I can do all that is in my power to ensure that my activities and sentiments do not feed the beast.

Bottom line, the problem we face is a welfare problem. We are literally enticing persons from other nations to enter our borders illegally because we are promising and providing them with that which a perpetrator of crime is attracted to—a dole lifestyle void of responsibility and consequence.  I’m quite sure that were we to eliminate the root of the problem, our dole minded welfare program and our acceptance of such, and instead administer to the needs of our citizens in accordance to the plan that God has laid and restore true freedom to this sacred land, we will be blessed in strength and we will successfully eliminate any swan song which entices the lazy and self-indulgent to come to this nation. At this time we have stood by while we watched the standards of the Law of the Harvest become corrupted and adulterated to the point that that which built this nation is hardly recognizable. I pray that now that I have awakened to this awful awareness I can help restore the standard of freedom and thereby welcome the virtuous souls who would come here with the desire to contribute and reap their honest rewards.

An Imperative Duty

By Kellene Bishop

In Doctrine and Covenants section 123 the Lord uses some strong language in warning us of our “imperative duty”—a term He uses repeatedly—bringing to light that which is in darkness. Specifically this section implores the members of the Church to “call forth from his hiding place” and “bringing light to all the hidden things of darkness” all of the secret, unjust dealings of the adversary and his own.  It even assures us that this last effort will be “enjoined by our Heavenly Father”.

What Part of UNALIENABLE Do You Not Understand?

Many years ago there was an instance in which a young male mountaineer was physically held hostage by an 800-1,000 pound boulder which had fallen on him. After 5 days of being trapped with no food or water, he felt his only escape was to crudely saw away at his trapped arm with his pocket knife. We read of this story and inevitably think “how archaic.  How cruel.  Wish that someone had come along to help him and remove that boulder.” While the man has been able to survive without this appendage, I assure you that this mans arm was intended to stay with him throughout his life. That’s exactly why God usually sends us all down to earth with two arms, two hands, two legs, a brain, etc.  These body parts are unalienable to us.  They are not to be removed from us by anyone else. They are given to us as human beings. That’s simply what rights are. It was certainly unfortunate that no one could come along and help remove this boulder in order to save the freedom this man had to relinquish in losing his arm. But the real question is, there’s a boulder that has fallen on We The People. Are we going to just sit there and crudely cut away at our unalienable rights, or are we going take care of this matter as the powerful, God-fearing American people that we are?

Today’s news of Obama writing an executive order which gives Interpol the authority to act as they please in MY country is disturbing at best. For some reason Obama sees fit in his worldly wisdom to give Interpol carte blanch in conducting any investigations on American soil that they believe has merit, in any manner that they deem appropriate. This foreign, United Nations based entity has been given “untouchable” status meaning that they are not under any requirements to observe ANY of our Constitutional laws, including search and seizure, habeas corpus, fair trial, etc., regardless of whether or not they are on American soil when exercising their investigations.  In other words, Obama is attempting to undermine our 4^th Amendment rights. What part of “unalienable rights” do these so-called government leaders not understand? Yes, I’m sorry to say that Reagan previously chipped away at our rights by giving Interpol democratic immunity on his executive order. But now Obama has seen fit to take this gaffe and enlarge it significantly with an accompanying executive order.

Our picture of security perfection, the Department of Homeland Security, botches their job of security and thus allows a person on a plane with a bomb, who is also on a terrorist watch list.  I’m confused.  The person who pours water in your glass in a nice restaurant…they are there to strictly pour water into your glass, right? Should the water not actually go into your glass and on your lap, should they not be fired?  The DHS has one job and one job only and that is ostensibly to protect America—from terrorists, tyrants, usurpers, and despots.  Clearly they failed at this one focused task, and they failed big time.

They mess up, so now we, the rest of the law-abiding American citizens, have to be exposed to unreasonable searches via a full body scan or even a body cavity search? Again, what part of “unalienable rights” do people not understand??  The Constitution protects us all from being treated as a terrorist or a criminal without substantiated evidence, and yet the DHS sees fit to admonish all law enforcement to do just that towards anyone who stands for freedom of religion, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of private property, the right to bear arms, as well as a love for the US Constitution, as a terrorist! 

The DHS can’t allow (or perhaps even persuade) a bad person to board an airplane and then use that as an excuse to take away American rights.  The Constitution doesn’t say “unalienable rights—unless a corrupt government is in power.”  These rights are simply unalienable—meaning that they shall never become alien to our lives or our hearts.

Our tyrannical leaders have passed an abomination of a spending bill in the form of the “stimulus” bill as well as the health care bill.  (Just to name a few.) In doing so they are completely ignoring the general welfare clause of our Constitution—general meaning that whatsoever taxes, fees, etc. which they enforce or establish must be for the GENERAL welfare of this nation, and never for the private benefit of a few.  (It doesn’t matter that the Supreme Court interpreted this clause incorrectly back in 1936. Too often folks forget that even the Supreme Court works for us, not the other way around) No one—and I mean NO ONE—can take away our unalienable rights!

Legislation on firearms, privacy, Congressional spending, voting, freedom of speech, freedom OF religion (not FROM religion), and so many others that our government aims to progress are targeted directly at removing us from our unalienable rights. Again. Removing us from our unalienable rights simply cannot be done. They can try mightily to promote the façade that such rights can be relinquished, but indeed they cannot. They are God given rights that we hold the moment we breath our first breath.  As such, even if our entire nation relinquishes their BELIEF to these rights, the rights themselves still cannot be removed from us. Though the young mountaineer removed himself from his arm, will his arm not still be his throughout the eternities upon his resurrection?  Our unalienable rights can be removed from us no easier than any appendage of our body. Yes, we can crudely saw away at our rights in order to temporarily escape our plight, but in such an instance that is willingly accepting this ominous boulder of abomination as the final word on our rights.  It’s not the final word, folks. It’s not even a word of remote authority. It’s a temporary an inconvenience.  We The People should never be too busy or too distracted to remove any obstacles in our way of unalienable rights! We The People are the last line of defense for our unalienable rights.

We are to elect a portion of ourselves to defend and protect the rights and freedoms of this nation. Yet so few of us even make it to the polls or the community meetings. Those who taken to elect leaders have been sorely betrayed by a derelict and demoralized government as a whole.  As a result, the last line of defense must be called to action. Will we sever ourselves from these sacred rights by allowing a big boulder to bully our beliefs, or will we free ourselves from this attempted enslavement and remove all obstacles of our rights?

What should we do? Again, we must let our voices be heard. We must inform the government that we are not passive observers but active participants in the freedom and rights of our nations. We must logically, intelligently, and pointedly inform them that they can not deceive us. We do NOT accept the illegal labeling of us Americans by the DHS. We do not accept the illegal attempt of Obama to usurp our 4^th Amendment rights. We do not accept any infringements on our right to worship God in public or in private. And we will NOT accept any future attempts to intrude on our rights. In my opinion, this must be verbalized to the usurpers just as regularly as our daily prayers.

More importantly, we must be educated in that which we intend to defend.  We must educate ourselves of this sacred document, the US Constitution. How can we defend something which we do not know?

Did you know that Joseph Smith attempted to rewrite the US Constitution?  Yes, he did. And he also attempted to have some of the apostles do so as well. They struggled with it. Joseph Smith struggled with it. As such he went to the Lord and asked, “what shall I change?”  As a result of his query we have the 98^th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. “…whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.” D&C 98:7

Oh how I pray that We, His People, will not let Him down after He’s provided us with so very, very much in the form of freedom, salvation, and love. May we never CHOOSE to separate ourselves from these unalienable rights.

Opposing Homosexuality in Righteousness

Marriage is sacred photo c/o open.salon.com

I never thought I’d be saying this, but I listen to easy listening music. I absolutely love it. It’s so peaceful. I seem to get more work done and more writing done when I indulge in it. I’m so accustomed to it that when I hear some “head banging tune” that it rattles me to the core. I feel my stomach thump with each violent beat of the bass. I feel rattled. I feel like someone is screaming at me. There is a big difference between peace and joy and anger and rebellion.  I share this with you because my soul reacts the very same way when it is exposed to other scenarios—such as being subjected to homosexual scenes on my television set, in a book I’m reading, or in a conversation I have to overhear in public.  I feel sick to my stomach. I feel truly sad for the poor choices so many individuals have made in their lives. I think I’m mostly sad because I have a wonderful marriage. I’m so blessed to enjoy an enduring love that Heavenly Father blesses and sanctions. We’re not perfect people, but we do try to live in such a way in which our home and marriage can be influenced by the Holy Spirit. If we are fighting with one another, if we are unfaithful to our covenants that we made to each other and to God, or if we are dishonest with one another, we can’t possibly expect Him to have an influence in our lives to the fullest extent.  As such, I find myself mourning the real peace and joy that those who elect to follow a homosexual lifestyle relinquish as a result of their choices. Bottom line, a homosexual lifestyle—with or without marriage involved—is not pleasing unto our Heavenly Father and it is offensive to me as well. All of this comes from my deeply rooted religious and personal beliefs.

When the television show “Flash Forward” first aired, I watched it with great enjoyment. However, when they aired an episode that promoted a lesbian relationship, I immediately stopped watching it and haven’t turned it on again. I also wrote a letter to the network informing them of my displeasure. Is it hatred in my heart that causes such a reaction? No. It is an unwillingness to allow such images into my home, my heart, and my mind. It’s an unwillingness to support the counterfeit version of happiness and marriage. It’s such an evil representation of true love and marriage that such content offends me greatly. I respond in the same way when I hear the Lord’s name taken in vain, or when I see any sexual content displayed on television or in a book.  So why am I writing about this today?  Because I was shocked to read that a man was fined over $6,600 because he refused to take photos for a gay marriage in New Mexico! http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=119282

First of all, gay marriage isn’t recognized in New Mexico. Secondly, the ceremony was offensive to the photographer’s marriage beliefs. And yet a judge, who is supposed to enforce and preserve the U.S. Constitution found the photographer guilty of “unlawful discrimination.”  This is so wrong folks.  I’m a professional preparedness consultant. Would I be fined because I refused to counsel a person how to preserve their cocaine long-term—even if it’s illegal and against my religious beliefs?  How there can even be a judge on the bench that can make such a ruling is literally frightening to me; frightening because it’s just one more indicator how far we have fallen from the best that God had to give us in the form of the U.S. Constitution. Where is the freedom from religious persecution? Where are the judges who work for We The People instead of promoting their own cultural beliefs and attempting to legislate from the bench?  In the name of true freedom, I believe firmly that as Christian Americans we cannot continue to turn a blind eye towards what’s going on around us.  Evil is real and thus our defense against evil must be every bit as real as well.  Why is evil seemingly winning the war? Because its cause has never been complacent, apathetic, or lazy.  If only we were as aware of evil as evil is aware of good!

I have two immediate family members who have chosen homosexual lifestyles.  One is even a homosexual prostitute on the strip in Las Vegas. I fear for the day when I get the call that he’s died as a result of his chosen lifestyle.  I also have another immediate family member who wholeheartedly supports such choices as well—so much so that he won’t even permit me to be his “friend” on Facebook for fear that my beliefs might “offend” one of his homosexual friends. As such, there has been a line in the sand drawn in all of our relationships. They simply cannot tolerate my disagreement with them no matter how kind or sincere such disagreement may be delivered. They are unable to accept a differing opinion. For them, it’s not enough that you love them; you have to agree with them as well. Unfortunately, that means that there is a huge, painful wall in place of a loving relationship. There’s been a great deal of sacrifice in order to stand for what’s truly right.  I don’t hate these individuals, but I cannot expose myself to their horrific choices either. And I certainly cannot support their cause.  I would much rather have healthy relationships with these people in my life. But this is not to be in these, the last days. We simply cannot have a fairy tale ending when violations of God’s laws are present in our lives.

I feel awful for the parents who are so afraid of losing their children that they have even risen in defiance against the Church leaders.  They somehow feel that God’s laws should be more pliable in the face of the abundance of homosexual evil which has stricken our world. Yes I realize that these individuals who are making these awful choices are someone’s son or daughter. They aren’t just nameless faces. They are a part of their parent’s soul. But so are we to our Heavenly Father. He too will have to choose to separate Himself from us if we choose unrighteously.  I was so saddened to hear so many members of the Church express disgust and anger that the Church leaders would take a stand on this vitally important issue in our world today. Do they not realize that if these leaders did not take such a stand they would have the wrath of God to deal with instead?  The same goes for all of us. The Lord will not permit his people to be apathetic. Apathy is a clever word that the adversary has created. It’s just a deceptive way to describe evil actions. Nowhere in the scriptures does the Lord provide us with neutral territory.  These same persons who would make excuses for these lost souls do so without an understanding that God cannot cease to being just without ceasing to be God.  If only the parents could find that same balance in their own lives with their children in being just and loving. Instead, not only are they losing a child to the choices which the child has made, but they are losing their own firm footing in the Gospel as well because of how they are attempting to embrace evil—all in the name of compassion. Can they not still love their children without rebelling against the counsel and wisdom of the prophets? Instead of dipping their toe in the pool of apostasy, they would find more peace during such trials by increasing their temple attendance and righteous acts in an effort to engage the Lord in answering their fervent prayers on behalf of their lost children.

Righteousness, prayers, fasting, temple attendance is what makes a difference photo c/o mormonchurch.com

May we do more to shake off the chains of apathy and rebellion and proactively stand for what is right. Righteousness, prayers, fasting, temple attendance and feasting upon the word of God will do more to help these persons than will acts of rebellion and defiance—He’s promised us that such is the case. The miracle is that we can perform these acts of love for those who have made wrong choices without compromising our own standing before the Lord, and in fact strengthening our relationship with Him.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

For Freedom’s Sake, Boycott Home Depot

By Kellene Bishop

Today’s news shares a disturbing story of a man who was FIRED from his job at Home Depot for wearing a pin—a pin which he’d been wearing every day for over a year. What horrible message did this pin convey? It’s an American flag with says “One Nation Under God, Indivisible.” Horrific, right?

What’s horrific is that Home Depot fired the man because he refused to remove it and replace it with their store sanction pin which states “United We Stand.”  Kind of hypocritical don’t you think? Unless this guy is “united” with the anti-religious and anti-patriotic stand of Home Depot he loses his livelihood!

What concerns me most about this is that the pin was not simply a religious one in nature. It was a quotation from our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance. To me, Home Depot’s behavior in this matter is an act of treason, plain and simple. So I implore every Christian American to PLEASE boycott Home Depot. We must fight back on these issues folks while we still can! Please let your voices be heard!! Contact Home Depot today and let them know that their actions are not acceptable to We The People of this great Christian nation! We cannot afford to be a silent group any longer. 

The main number for Home Depot is 1-800-Home Depot. You can also go to their main site www.homedepot.com and send them an e-mail. I strongly recommend that you do both!! You can also try 1-800-553-3199. By the way, Home Depot is another one of those businesses that requires you to press 1 in order to proceed in English!

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Religious Freedom

I know that some may view this link and think to themselves, “yeah, but that’s the U.K. It could never happen here.”  But those individuals would be wrong. It’s already starting to happen here. All I’m doing is showing you a fast forward of what’s to come.

Imagine being required to attend a homosexual sensitivity training as a requirement for you to keep your job? Imagine if telling another associate you work with “God Bless” and having it be grounds for suspension or termination.  Imagine if you were not permitted to put up any religious signs in your yard because you’ll offend an atheist, etc?  We’re already seeing snippets of such ludicrous actions. see http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=114130 And they have even been held up in the courts. (which of course does not make them right).  If we don’t pay attention now, then we will allow this to escalate to the point that the only way we can retain our religious freedoms is by war.  Onward Christian Soldiers.  Fight now with actions of peace so that we can avoid war.

Here’s the link: http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=9425

Are you aware that there is now a HUGE population of Muslims in the UK? Did they move there knowning that Great Britain was constituted as a Christian Nation? Did they move there knowing that the Queen herself must make an oath to God as a part of her place of importance?  Then why do they claim “offense” at Christian messages? I don’t complain when someone makes an atheistic stand in their own property, in their demeanor, etc. So why should my religious freedom be compromised because they CHOOSE to take offense with something Christian I may say or do? We, as a nation have forgotten who we are, what we stand for, and what we must continually do in order to keep those freedoms. Our country is great for no other reason that because God has proclaimed it to be so and to provide us with His protection. If we forget Him, surely He will not be bound to remember us.

America–A Sacred Land

By Kellene Bishop

Many of the wars and rumors of wars exist in the world as the result of the Jews and Muslims fighting to protect the locations which are sacred to them. The Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock, the Tomb of David, the Tomb of Rachel, and so on and so forth; all of these have merited untiring protection and defense by those who believe they are sacred. 

While the violence ensues and the wars erupt from a spirit of sentryism is not ideal, the valiance and willingness to fight for that which is sacred should be something that we as Latter-Day Saints pay heed to.

The Promised Land by Arnold Friberg

This nation is indeed The Promised Land, and it is favored above all other lands upon this earth by God himself. The words ‘promised’, ‘choice’, and ‘favored’ should not be taken lightly when used by the Lord. Surely He is not insincere or unknowledgeable in the use of such descriptive words. Yet in a moment of somber honesty with ourselves, many of us have to admit that we rarely give any thought to the sacredness of this land and its accompanying freedom. Yes, for some our hearts are momentarily stirred when we view great historical monuments of our American history such as the Liberty Bell, or a copy of the original Declaration of Independence. Perhaps our hearts flutter a bit when we witness the grandeur and beauty of the works of His hand at Niagara Falls or The Grand Canyon. But do we really appreciate the truly sacred nature of this land? If so, what are we doing to protect it? What would we be willing to do to protect the sanctity and holiness of our own temples and the freedom to operate them appropriately?

Why is it that scores of prophets have been shown the history of this land and its significance? No other portion of the earth has been endowed with greater significance in His Plan than has this continent. Permit me to remind us just how sacred and choice this land is to the Lord.

Human life began on this continent. As such our father Adam and our mother Eve dwelt here and raised their children here and their children’s children. Such events began in a beautiful place known as the Garden of Eden right here in North America¹. This also means that God and His Son literally communicated with Adam and Eve on this very land.

Methuselah lived nine-hundred and sixty-nine years here. His grandson Noah, built the Ark on this land. The City of Enoch was built and then taken up from this land.²

One of the most magnificent civilizations ever was established here by the hand of the Lord and was greater than any contemporary kingdoms. This kingdom would even rival that of the Babylonian, Assyrian, Chinese and Egyptian civilizations.³ The Jaredites existed on this land from 2300 to 600 B.C. until they destroyed themselves.

Every single Book of Mormon prophet that we have come to know and love resided on this very soil. Christ our Lord appeared to the inhabitants of this land. (See 3 Nephi)

The First Vision c/o lds.org

God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared simultaneously in this land and conversed with a young man, Joseph Smith. (See The First Vision)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored on the earth in this very land. (See Doctrine and Covenants)

The Priesthood keys were fully restored to worthy men on this continent. This sacred restoration was performed by the literal hands of John the Baptist, Peter, James and John and the great prophet Elijah.⁴

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is guided and directed daily by a prophet of God from this land to all the earth.

It is here that the Lord’s New Jerusalem will be established.⁵ “Zion will indeed arise and shine” on this land. A great temple will be built in the New Jerusalem unlike any other and will be built not only with the hands of those who are called to assist, but with the aid of the Lord himself and angels from beyond the veil.^{6 (President Wilford Woodruff)}

It is to this very continent that the lost Tribes of Israel will be gathered and assist in building up His Kingdom here on the earth during the Millennial Reign.

It is upon this ground which we live that the Lord himself will officially take over and administer the governing powers for all the earth. Here He will administer His Pre-Millennial plan in the last days.

Equally as important is the fact that this land was blessed with the greatest level of freedom of any other in the world by the hand of the Lord and through much sacrifice and bloodshed. It was required that His plans could be carried out unencumbered and in accordance to the Plan of Salvation. Such freedom stands as a beacon of light and hope to dozens of nations who have attempted to emulate it.

Wow. Take a moment to breathe that all in. And to think that this is not all that has transpired or that will in the future. I am convinced that if any one of these events were believed to have taken place in Palestine that all of the surrounding physical areas would likewise be fiercely protected. Don’t you?

Dallin H. Oaks at General Conference c/o ldschurchnews.com

With such great blessings comes significant responsibilities. What good are these events of the past, present, and future if we do nothing to protect their significance, our ability to honor them, and our freedom to benefit from them by worshipping freely? Do we not realize that our regular involvement in protecting a perfect and unadulterated freedom of our nation is inseparable with our religious beliefs? (See Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk in the October, 2009 General Conference) Yet evil and its ugly stepsister, apathy, abound in our nation, even in the membership of the Church. We make far too many decisions based on what we THINK is the “here and now.” I am no exception to the masses who fail to humbly and prayerfully consider how our actions will aid or mitigate the work of the Lord on this nation. I too have been guilty of naively categorizing my life into areas of spiritual or political when in fact there are no such delineation. In fact, our political decisions are no less spiritual than will be the governmental reign of the Lord. Have we ever read anything by any prophet which would tell us otherwise? Have we ever read any passage of scripture that would tell us that we need not be diligent in our political actions every whit as much as those of our worship? Indeed, we cannot separate the two. Freedom is inseparable from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus our passions and efforts to preserve freedom must be equally proliferated and prominent in our lives. Freedom was the crux of the war in heaven and it is still being fought on this land today.

Is it really any wonder that we seem to be losing so much of our freedom? The principle of Freedom is as much the soul of this country as the Spirit is to our justification to enter God’s presence.⁷ We are not ignorant of the devotion of our enemies as manifested in their daily prayers to the god which they worship. The powers of darkness clearly respond to such allegiance. What could we accomplish if we prayed as much for righteousness and freedom in this land as fervently as our enemies pray for evil?

May we better appreciate what we are protecting—our sacred lands, God’s plan of freedom, and a joyous future of our families—and may we act accordingly in our daily remembrance and devotions.

¹ Cowley, Matthias, Wilford Woodruff, p. 481

² Smith, J. F., The Progress of Man, p. 249

³ Ether 3:1

⁴ D&C 27:8-12

⁵ Ether 13:2-8

⁶ Cowley, Op. Cit., p. 505

⁷ Moses 6:60

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.